Table of Contents
What are typical injuries from falling down stairs?
Some of the most common injuries from falling down stairs include sprains, strains, soft tissue injuries, broken bones and fractures, and head and neck injuries, including concussions and traumatic brain injuries. In some cases, the victim was not at fault for the stairway accident.
What happens when you fell down the stairs?
Stairway falls can cause trauma to the walls of spinal discs, causing them to painfully compress or bulge (“slip”). This can lead to severe pain, numbness, and muscle weakness, not just localized at the point of trauma but radiating to the arms and legs as well.
What injuries are most common after a fall?
Common Fall Injuries
- Soft Tissue Injuries. Soft tissue injuries aren’t always visible, because they can be internal.
- Head Injuries (TBI and concussions) Head injuries are often the result of a fall.
- Cuts and Abrasions.
- Spinal Cord Injuries.
- Broken Bones / fractures:
Should I see a doctor after falling down stairs?
Seek medical help immediately, if someone is experiencing a severe headache, nausea and vomiting, or confusion. Some injuries may cause severe bleeding that won’t stop after at least 15 minutes of pressure or there may be an obvious fracture.
When should I see a doctor after falling down stairs?
If your back pain after falling down the stairs persists for a few days, you should seek medical attention. Depending on the severity of the back pain, you can either see a physical therapist or a medical doctor as your first point of contact. Some people even choose to work with athletic trainers, too.
What should you check after a fall?
After the Fall
- Check the patient’s breathing, pulse, and blood pressure.
- Check for injury, such as cuts, scrapes, bruises, and broken bones.
- If you were not there when the patient fell, ask the patient or someone who saw the fall what happened.
How many people have died from falling down stairs?
According to the most recent data on stairway accidents in the United States, an estimated 12,000 people die from falling down steps each year. Following motor vehicle accidents, falls are the second leading cause of accidental injuries in the home and workplace, and stairs present numerous opportunities for people to hurt themselves.
Why do people fall down stairs?
The direct causes of falling on the stairs are: slipping a foot on a step treading past a step supporting with a heel or toe on the edge of a step hooking one foot over another tangling feet in clothing, catching shoes that have fallen off a foot (most often slippers) reach for foreign objects left on the stairs
What are falling down stairs?
slipping a foot on a step