2 Ways to Get Up From a Fall

I strongly encourage my clients to practice how to get up from a fall on a regular basis. Today, I am going to demonstrate how to get up after a fall. I will walk you through two techniques you can practice at home.

--Chapters--
0:00 Introduction
0:41 Getting Up from Lying on Your Side
1:53 Crawl to the Chair
5:46 Get Up From Prone Position
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Balance and Fall Prevention

I help many of my clients improve their balance and coach them on fall prevention strategies. However, falls can happen. You might have to get up at night to use the bathroom. It’s dark and you lose your orientation. Before you know it, you experience a fall and you are on the ground.

Hopefully, you have practiced and you know how to get up from a fall. Otherwise, panic could set in and things get worse than they should.

Let’s cover the first way to safely get up after a fall.

How to Get up From a Fall • First Technique

When you are on the ground after the fall, you will roll onto one of your sides.

If you've fallen on your side and that side feels painful, then you might want to, wisely, choose to roll onto the opposite side so that the stronger arm can help you.

You should elevate your torso by pushing up with the arm on the top side and use the bottom arm to hold, or support you, once you have lifted your torso.

Move Towards a Chair

At this point, drag your body across the floor on one arm. This requires some strength. As a result, I encourage you to build your strength with side planks from a lying position. You could practice this press action on the floor or on a firm bed.

The little press movement is what you're going to use to bring yourself to the closest and sturdiest chair that you see.

Move my legs around and gradually bring yourself over using a little step with the arm.

Bring the knees up as you move along the floor.

Use the strength of your legs to push yourself along the floor as you make your way to the chair.

When you get to the chair you could rest your head for a little bit to get your breath.

Get in close to the chair.

Use your arm to lift your torso up so that you can rest your arm on the chair. Take as many pauses as you need in between.

At the Chair • Option 1

From this position, you have two options.

In the first option, put most of the weight on your unaffected side, or the happier side, and lift yourself so that both arms and your upper body are resting on the chair.

Use your good (pain free) side as your power side for arm support.

Use the leg on the opposite side as your power leg.

I suggest you transfer some of the weight forward. Push up through your arm and push down through your foot.

As soon as you can clear the chair, pivot over into the chair.

In the video, I cleared it a lot more than you actually would need to.

As soon as you can get your butt over, scooch over.

At the Chair • Option 2

Consider option two if you make it to the chair and you know you're not going to have the strength in the supporting knee and this shoulder to execute the lift and pivot. In this instance:

Face the chair.

Bring one foot back and then the other foot back.

Press up with most of the weight on the stronger of the two arms.

Walk in the legs far enough that you can then pivot around.

How to Get up From a Fall • Second Technique

I frequently teach my clients this second technique on how to get up from a fall.

Clients that regularly exercise on the ground, find it much easier for them to do on a day-to-day basis.

If you choose this technique, one of the caveats is that you have the flexibility to do this. Here is how to test if you are flexible enough.

Lie on your back.

Lift your leg up.

If you are able to comfortably lift both legs close to 90 degrees, say between 75 and 90 degrees, then this technique is a real viable option for you to use.

Go flat on your hands or your knuckles - whichever is more comfortable for you.

If you have fallen and landed on your shoulder, roll onto your stomach.

From here, tighten up your tummy muscles and push back.

You need to get your butt up in the air behind you.

Push back through your forearms with your butt up.

At this point, widen the space between your knees and keep the feet the same width as your knees.

Push up onto your knuckles or onto flat hands - depending on your wrists and your hands.

Toes tucked in.

Press and walk your hands back towards your feet.

As soon as you can get your forearms onto your legs, take the weight off of your spine.

Walk yourself up.

If you found that this technique worked well for you, practice it every day. Come down into the short-stop position and then come down onto the ground.

From here, come straight down onto your tummy, keep your tummy muscles nice and tight as you do so.

Видео 2 Ways to Get Up From a Fall канала Margaret Martin, Physical Therapist