How to Get Up From the Floor After a Fall
If you have fallen onto the floor, your first instinct may be to try to get back up immediately.
Before you do, take a moment.
Check whether you are injured, whether you hit your head, and whether you feel well enough to move. If you have significant pain, suspect you may have injured yourself, feel dizzy or unwell, or don't feel that you can safely get up, seek assistance rather than repeatedly trying to stand.
If you haven't sustained an apparent injury and feel able to move, using the right technique can make getting from the floor back to standing more manageable.
In the video below, we demonstrate a practical way of getting up from the floor using a stable piece of furniture for support.
How do you get up from the floor after a fall?
There isn't one technique that will suit everyone. Your strength, mobility, balance, injuries and the environment around you will all influence the safest approach.
However, if you are able to move comfortably and have access to a secure support, the following sequence may help.
1. Check yourself before trying to get up
Don't rush straight back to standing.
Take a moment to work out how you feel.
Consider whether you have significant pain, have hit your head, feel dizzy or unwell, or have injured an arm or leg that you would need to use to get yourself up.
If you don't feel safe attempting to stand, getting assistance may be more appropriate than repeatedly trying to get yourself up.
2. Move towards a stable piece of furniture
If you're able to move without significant pain, look for something sturdy that can provide support as you get up.
This might be a solid chair or another stable piece of furniture.
Avoid relying on something lightweight or unstable that could move when you put your weight through it.
Depending on your position after the fall, you may first need to roll or move yourself towards the support.
3. Move onto your hands and knees
From the floor, work towards a position where you can move onto your hands and knees.
Take your time.
For some people, this part of the movement is relatively straightforward. For others, limited hip or knee mobility, upper-body strength or pain may make it more difficult.
4. Use the support to move into a kneeling position
Once you are close enough to the stable support, use it to help bring your body into a more upright kneeling position.
The support provides an additional point of contact while you reposition your legs underneath you.
5. Bring one foot forward
From kneeling, bring one foot forward so that you move towards a half-kneeling position.
This is an important part of the transfer because it places one leg in a position where it can contribute to getting you back to standing.
Continue using the stable support as required.
6. Push through your legs and the support to stand
From the half-kneeling position, use your legs and the stable support to help bring yourself back towards standing.
There is no need to rush.
Once upright, make sure you feel steady before walking away.
If you become dizzy, significantly painful or unwell during the process, stop and seek assistance.
Watch: How to get up from the floor
Sometimes it's much easier to understand a floor transfer by seeing it demonstrated rather than reading about it.
In this video, we demonstrate the sequence and show how a stable support can be incorporated into the movement.
What if you can't get yourself up after a fall?
If you've tried to get up but can't do so safely, repeatedly attempting the movement can make you tired and may make subsequent attempts more difficult.
If you have a phone, personal alarm or another way of contacting someone, use it to obtain assistance.
If you are seriously injured, have concerning symptoms or require urgent medical assistance in Australia, call 000.
For people at increased risk of falling—particularly those living alone—it can also be worth considering in advance how you would summon assistance if you fell and couldn't reach your phone.
Why might getting up from the floor be difficult?
Getting from the floor to standing is a demanding functional task.
I
t can require a combination of:
leg and upper-body strength
hip and knee mobility
balance and coordination
the ability to move between different positions
confidence with the movement.
This is why someone can be reasonably active and still find getting up from the floor surprisingly difficult.
It is also a movement that many adults simply don't practise very often.
If you have noticed that getting down to and up from the floor has gradually become harder, you don't necessarily need to wait until you have a fall before addressing it.
Finding it difficult to get up from the floor even when you haven't fallen?
If the problem isn't a fall but rather that you've noticed getting off the floor becoming increasingly difficult, technique may only be part of the issue.
Strength, balance and mobility may also be contributing.
We've created a separate guide and video demonstrating some simple exercises that can be practised at home to work on some of the physical qualities involved in getting yourself up from the floor.
Wanting more information click the link below:
Have you fallen or noticed changes in your balance?
A fall doesn't necessarily mean that someone has poor balance, and falls can occur for many different reasons.
However, if you've experienced falls, near-falls, increasing unsteadiness or changes in your ability to complete everyday movements, it may be worth looking at the factors contributing to this.
At Body Fit Physiotherapy in North Adelaide, our Falls Prevention and Balance Physiotherapy service looks at areas such as strength, balance, mobility and functional movement and develops an exercise program based on the individual's needs and abilities.
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