How to Heal After a Slip and Fall

Slip and fall accidents are common injuries that we treat in our therapy clinics. Some of these accidents result in a shoulder or knee conditions, causing a patient to seek physical therapy services. Sometimes a fall can cause a wrist of elbow injury, resulting in a visit to an occupational therapist. Lucky for you, we’ll be discussing both! Keep reading to learn about the different types of slip and fall injuries and how therapy can help you recover from them.

Avoiding the Fall:

While is it difficult to stop a fall from happing after it has already started, precautionary measures can be taken during your daily routine to reduce the risk of a slip and fall, inside and outside. Here are some things to keep an eye out for…

• Watch for hazardous conditions that could cause you to slip, such as:
  • Throw rugs
  • Loose flooring
  • Icy spots
  • Wet floors
  • Uneven pavement
• Observe cluttered or misplaced objects that could cause you to trip, like:
  • Placement of furniture
  • Electric cords
  • Untidy floor
  • Obstacles i.e. boxes or chairs

No matter the scenario, falls can also be prevented by wearing good shoes with non-skid soles, carefully lowering yourself from high places (vs. jumping), like stepping out of a truck, getting assistance when carrying heavy objects in icy or wet conditions and holding on to railings whenever possible.

Experiencing a Fall:

If a fall does occur, expect the unexpected! It is best to relax the body rather than tensing up your muscles. Absorb the fall, allowing your upper and lower extremities give like a spring. If possible, roll, moving in the direction of the fall to minimize injury.

In the event you do sustain an injury from either falling forward or backward, you should seek medical attention based on the severity of your injury. It is possible for you to break a bone, sprain an ankle, herniate a disc, pull/tear a muscle or sustain some other more serious injury. If your condition is minor (resulting in minimal pain and possible bruising) there are some stretches/exercises you can do at home to help rehab your aches and pains.

Shoulder

1. Lace your fingers together and raise both arms above your head as far as possible.
2. With your fingers still laced, lower your arms slowly until the palms of the hands are resting on the back of the head.
3. Pull your elbows backwards and throw your chest forward while extending your shoulders backwards.
4. Hold for a slow 5 count then relax. Repeat 10 times.

Wrist

1. Make a fist with one hand and hold for a slow 5 count.
2. Slowly bend your wrist back and open your fist, extending your fingers back towards your shoulder.
3. Hold for a slow 5 count and repeat 10 times.

Elbow

1. Extend your arm straight at your side with your palm facing forward. Hold for a slow 5 count.
2. Bend your elbow towards your shoulder with your palm facing back.
3. Hold for a slow 5 count and repeat 10 times.

Back

1. While sitting in a chair, cross your arms over your chest and then rotate your upper body to the left. Hold for a slow 5 count
2. Slowly twist to the right and repeat.
3. Complete 10 rotations on each side.

Ankle

1. Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground.
2. Next, raise up both forefeet and toes bending at your ankle. Keep your heels on the ground the entire time. If this is difficult, slide your feet forward and try again. Hold for a slow 5 count
3. Bring your feet back down and repeat 10 times.

Hip

1. While sitting in a chair, lift your foot off the ground as you flex your hip and lift your leg. Hold for a slow 5 count
2. Bring your leg back down. Repeat 10 times while alternating legs.