How can you protect your head during a fall. What is the best way to position your body when falling. Why is it important to stay relaxed during a fall. How can rolling technique help reduce impact. What are the key steps to spread out the force of impact when falling.

The Importance of Knowing How to Fall Safely

Falls can happen to anyone, regardless of age or physical condition. While prevention is ideal, knowing how to fall safely is a crucial skill that can help minimize injuries when accidents occur. According to a study in the Journal of Allied Health, people aged 50-60 actually fall more frequently than older adults due to higher activity levels. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries. Given these statistics, learning proper falling techniques is essential for personal safety.

Protecting Your Head: The Top Priority During a Fall

When falling, protecting your head should be your primary concern. Head injuries can have severe, even fatal consequences. Here are some key techniques to safeguard your head:

• Tuck your chin down to lower your head
• If falling face-first, turn your head to the side
• Bring your arms up to head level for additional protection
• Position arms in front of your head if falling forward, or behind if falling backward

Is there additional risk for those on blood thinners? Yes, individuals taking anticoagulants or blood thinners face increased danger from head impacts. If you fall and hit your head while on these medications, contact your doctor immediately as you may require a CT scan to check for internal bleeding.

Body Positioning: Turning to Reduce Impact

The way you position your body during a fall can significantly affect the outcome. Falling straight forward or backward increases the risk of serious injuries. Instead, try to rotate your body to land on your side. This technique helps distribute the impact and reduces the chance of severe damage, especially when falling from heights.

Why is side-landing preferable?

Landing on your side offers several advantages:

• Reduces risk of spinal injuries compared to back falls
• Minimizes potential damage to the face and arms compared to forward falls
• Allows for better force distribution across the body

Limb Positioning: Keep Arms and Legs Bent

While it may seem instinctive to try and catch yourself with outstretched arms, this can lead to serious injuries. Instead, aim to keep both your arms and legs slightly bent as you fall. This approach helps absorb and distribute the impact more effectively.

Why should you avoid landing with straight arms? Attempting to catch yourself with fully extended arms can result in broken wrists and arms due to the concentrated force on these joints. By maintaining a slight bend, you allow your body to absorb the shock more gradually and safely.

The Importance of Staying Relaxed During a Fall

Counterintuitive as it may seem, staying loose and relaxed during a fall can significantly reduce your risk of injury. Tensing up your body prevents it from naturally absorbing and distributing the force of impact. When your muscles are rigid, the shock is more likely to cause breaks or sprains rather than being dissipated across a flexible body.

How can you stay relaxed while falling?

One effective technique to maintain relaxation is to exhale as you fall. This simple action can help release tension in your muscles, allowing your body to move more fluidly and adapt to the impact. Practice deep breathing exercises regularly to make this response more automatic in stressful situations.

Rolling Technique: Dissipating Impact Energy

For those with the ability and opportunity, rolling can be an excellent method to reduce the force of a fall. By converting the downward energy into rotational motion, you can significantly lessen the impact on any single part of your body. While this technique requires practice to master, it can be highly effective in preventing injuries.

Steps for a proper falling roll:

1. Start in a low squat position
2. Lean forward, placing your palms flat on the ground
3. Push off with your legs, shifting your weight forward
4. Allow your legs to go over your head
5. Keep your back rounded and aim to land on a shoulder
6. Let the momentum carry you through the roll and back onto your feet

Where can you safely practice this technique? Look for gyms or martial arts studios with padded floors to rehearse falling and rolling in a controlled, safe environment.

Spreading the Force: Minimizing Localized Impact

A key principle in falling safely is to distribute the force of impact over a larger area of your body. Concentrating the full force on a single point increases the likelihood of serious injury to that specific area. By spreading out the impact, you reduce the risk of severe damage to any one part of your body.

Techniques for distributing impact:

• Use the natural curvature of your body to your advantage
• Try to land on fleshy areas rather than bony prominences
• If possible, attempt to make contact with multiple body parts simultaneously

How does this principle apply in different fall scenarios? In a backward fall, for instance, try to land across your back and shoulders rather than directly on your tailbone or head. For a forward fall, aim to distribute the impact across your forearms, palms, and thighs instead of concentrating it on your face or knees.

Fall Prevention: Proactive Measures to Avoid Accidents

While knowing how to fall safely is crucial, preventing falls in the first place should always be the primary goal. Here are some proactive steps you can take to reduce your risk of falling:

• Maintain regular exercise to improve strength, balance, and flexibility
• Keep your living space well-lit and free of tripping hazards
• Use assistive devices like handrails and non-slip mats in potentially slippery areas
• Have your vision checked regularly and keep prescriptions up to date
• Be aware of medication side effects that may affect balance or coordination

How often should you assess your home for fall risks? Conduct a thorough review of your living environment at least twice a year, paying special attention to high-risk areas like bathrooms, staircases, and poorly lit corridors.

Understanding Fall Risks Across Age Groups

While falls are often associated with the elderly, it’s important to recognize that fall risks exist across all age groups. As mentioned earlier, adults in their 50s and 60s may actually experience more falls due to their active lifestyles. Understanding the specific risks for different age groups can help tailor prevention strategies and safety measures.

Fall risks for different age groups:

• Children: Playground equipment, sports activities, bicycling
• Young adults: High-risk sports, alcohol consumption, distracted walking
• Middle-aged adults: Overconfidence in physical abilities, multitasking
• Older adults: Reduced balance, vision problems, medication side effects

How can awareness of age-specific risks improve fall prevention? By recognizing the unique challenges faced by each age group, individuals can take targeted precautions and make informed decisions about their activities and environments.

The Role of Physical Fitness in Fall Safety

Maintaining good physical fitness plays a crucial role in both preventing falls and minimizing injuries when they do occur. Regular exercise can improve your balance, coordination, flexibility, and strength – all key factors in fall prevention and safe falling techniques.

Key exercises for fall prevention and safety:

• Balance exercises: Tai Chi, yoga, single-leg stands
• Strength training: Focus on core and lower body muscles
• Flexibility exercises: Stretching routines, pilates
• Cardiovascular activities: Walking, swimming, cycling

How often should you engage in these exercises? Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, incorporating a mix of the above activities. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting a new exercise regimen, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions.

The Impact of Environmental Factors on Fall Risk

Your surroundings play a significant role in fall prevention and safety. Being aware of environmental hazards and taking steps to mitigate them can greatly reduce your risk of falling. This awareness should extend beyond your home to include public spaces and outdoor environments.

Common environmental fall hazards:

• Uneven or slippery surfaces
• Poor lighting conditions
• Cluttered walkways
• Loose rugs or carpets
• Lack of handrails on stairs
• Weather-related conditions like ice or wet leaves

How can you assess and improve environmental safety? Conduct regular “safety walks” through your frequented areas, identifying and addressing potential hazards. In public spaces, remain vigilant and report any dangerous conditions to the appropriate authorities.

The Psychological Aspect of Fall Prevention and Recovery

The fear of falling can have a significant impact on an individual’s quality of life and may actually increase the risk of falls. This fear can lead to reduced physical activity, which in turn can result in muscle weakness and decreased balance – factors that contribute to fall risk. Understanding and addressing the psychological aspects of fall prevention and recovery is crucial for overall safety and well-being.

Strategies for managing fear of falling:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy to address anxiety
• Gradual exposure to challenging situations in safe environments
• Building confidence through successful physical activities
• Joining support groups or classes focused on fall prevention

How can you build confidence in your ability to prevent and handle falls? Start with small, achievable goals in safe environments, gradually increasing the difficulty as your skills and confidence grow. Celebrate your progress and remember that fall prevention is an ongoing process of learning and adaptation.

Technological Advancements in Fall Prevention and Detection

As technology continues to advance, new tools and devices are emerging to aid in fall prevention and rapid response to fall incidents. These innovations can provide additional layers of safety and peace of mind for individuals at risk of falling.

Current and emerging fall-related technologies:

• Wearable fall detection devices with automatic alert systems
• Smart home sensors that monitor movement patterns and detect anomalies
• Virtual reality systems for balance training and fall prevention exercises
• Smartphone apps that assess gait and provide personalized fall risk assessments
• Advanced mobility aids with built-in stability enhancement features

How can you determine which technologies are right for you or your loved ones? Consider factors such as lifestyle, specific fall risks, comfort with technology, and the level of monitoring desired. Consult with healthcare professionals and technology specialists to find the most suitable options for your individual needs.

The Importance of Post-Fall Care and Analysis

While prevention and safe falling techniques are crucial, it’s equally important to know how to respond after a fall occurs. Proper post-fall care can minimize complications and inform future prevention strategies. Additionally, analyzing the circumstances of each fall can provide valuable insights for reducing future risks.

Key steps in post-fall care:

1. Assess for injuries before attempting to move
2. Seek medical attention if there’s pain, dizziness, or loss of consciousness
3. Document the circumstances of the fall, including time, location, and contributing factors
4. Review and potentially adjust fall prevention strategies based on the incident
5. Consider a professional assessment of your living environment and physical condition

Why is fall analysis important? Each fall provides an opportunity to learn and improve your prevention strategies. By understanding the factors that contributed to a fall, you can take targeted actions to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents in the future.

Collaborative Approaches to Fall Prevention and Safety

Fall prevention and safety are not solitary endeavors. A collaborative approach involving family members, healthcare providers, and community resources can significantly enhance overall safety and quality of life. By working together, you can create a comprehensive support system that addresses all aspects of fall prevention and response.

Key collaborators in fall prevention:

• Family members and caregivers
• Primary care physicians
• Physical therapists and occupational therapists
• Home safety specialists
• Community organizations offering fall prevention programs

How can you build an effective fall prevention team? Start by discussing your concerns with your healthcare provider and family members. Seek out local resources and programs focused on fall prevention. Remember that open communication and regular check-ins with your support network are crucial for maintaining a safe and active lifestyle.

Do you know how to fall SAFELY? 6 steps for personal protection.

Fall protection is often stressed, we’re always looking to avoid falls; but have you ever thought about what to do when you can’t avoid the fall?  The following 6 steps will help reduce injury as you slip, slide, or fall.

Protect your head. The most important body part that you need to protect in a fall is your head. Head injuries can be very serious, even deadly. Make sure you prioritize protecting your head as you fall by properly positioning it.

• Tuck your your chin down, lowering your head.
• If falling down, face first, turn your head to the side.
• Bring your arms up to head level for additional protection. Put them in front of your head if falling forwards or behind your head if falling backwards.
• If you are taking anticoagulants or blood thinners and fall and hit your head, this may result in a dangerous and life-threatening bleed inside your skull. Call your doctor, who may tell you to go to the hospital for a CT scan.

Turn as you fall. If you are falling either straight forward or straight backwards, try to turn your body so you land on your side. Falling directly on your back can cause serious injury to it. A frontal fall can cause damage to the head, face, and arms. By landing on your side you can reduce the chance of injury from high distances (for example, one way vertical paths).

Keep arms and legs bent. It may be tempting to try and catch yourself fully as you fall with your arms. However, landing with your arms straight out and absorbing the full force of the fall with them can cause injury. Try keeping both arms and legs slightly bent as you fall.^[3]

• Landing fully on your arms in an attempt to catch yourself can break both your wrists and arms.

Stay loose. Tensing up during a fall can increase the chances of sustaining an injury. The tension in your body won’t allow for the absorption of force from the fall. Instead of spreading the impact out over a flexible body, the parts that were kept taught are more likely to break instead of going with the motion.

• You can try breathing out as you fall to help keep your body relaxed.

Roll out of the impact. If you are able, a good technique to dissipate the force of a fall is to roll into it. By rolling, you send the energy of the fall into the roll, rather than having your body absorb the impact. Since the technique is difficult, you may want to practice falling and rolling at a gym or somewhere with padded and cushioned floors.

• Start in a low squat position.
• Lean forward and place your palms flat on the ground in front of you.
• Push off the ground with your legs and move your weight forwards.
• Your legs will go over your head.
• Keep your back rounded and gently try to land on a shoulder.
• Let the momentum carry you through the roll and back up onto your feet.

Spread out the force of the fall. A big part of falling safely is to spread out the force of the impact over a large area of your body. Falling on a single point will result in that area taking most of the damage. By spreading out the impact, you reduce the chance of serious injury to a single part of the body.

For more tips on how to fall safely click here.

More Insight & Tips

More Insight

How To Fall To Prevent Injury

Michael Zimmerman

Published

November 28, 2017

It was nearly 30 years ago that Mrs. Fletcher from the LifeCall commercials first uttered her plaintive cry: “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” 

Back then, it was campy and funny. But in the intervening years, chances are that you, and perhaps some of your loved ones, have taken some nasty spills. It’s not just the elderly, though, who end up on the ground. 

STEVE SANFORD

A study in the Journal of Allied Health showed that 50- to 60-year-olds fall more than older folks. We’re more active, and that puts us more at risk of falling. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that people are more likely to suffer a traumatic brain injury from falling than from any other cause. 

STEVE SANFORD

And we’re all going to fall down: The world is full of banana peels. So while avoiding a fall is job one, knowing how to take a fall when it’s inevitable is a crucial skill.

STEVE SANFORD

“Be smooth, don’t panic, stay loose,” says Alexa Marcigliano, who is really good at falling down. A professional stuntwoman, she’s taken serious spills in shows such as Orange Is the New Black and Blindspot. Here’s her four-point plan for a safe crash landing.

Step 1: Stay bent 

The moment you sense you’ve lost your balance, get ready to fall with bent elbows and knees. “When people panic, they become rigid,” Marcigliano says. “In the stunt world, we never reach out with locked arms. Bend your elbows and have some give in your arms to soften the impact.” When you’re rigid, you’re more likely to suffer a set of injuries called FOOSH — doctor speak for “Fall on outstretched hand.” The result is often a broken wrist or elbow.

Step 2: Protect your head

If you’re falling forward, be sure to turn your face to the side. Falling backward? “Tuck your chin to your chest so your head doesn’t hit the ground,” Marcigliano advises.

Step 3: Land on the meat

“One of the things we try for in stunt falls is landing on meaty parts of your body — the muscles in your back, butt or thighs. Not bone.” If you keep your knees and elbows bent and look to land on muscle, you’ll be less likely to crack your elbows, knees, tailbone or hips.

Step 4: Keep falling

Your instinct will be to stop your body as quickly as you can. But your safest route is to keep rolling — indeed, the more you give in to the fall, the safer it will be. “Spread the impact across a larger part of your body; don’t concentrate impact on one area,” Marcigliano says. The more you roll with the fall, the safer you will be.

Advanced trick

“In stunts, we do something called slapping out,” Marcigliano notes. “As you fall, let your body roll, and extend your arm palm-down, to slap the ground and stop yourself.

Before the fall

While you can’t prevent all slips, there’s plenty you can do to improve your footing.

• Be here now. Practice “mindfulness” — focus on the present and be aware of your surroundings, instead of being lost in your thoughts.  
• Fix your blind spots. If you can’t see it, you can’t avoid tripping over it. Have your eyesight and eyeglasses checked regularly.
• Boost your balance. Stand with your feet together. Raise one foot an inch; hold for 30 seconds. Do this for 10 reps. Repeat with your other foot.

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Fall right! Traumatologists remind safety rules in ice | Tips | HEALTH

03/31/2022 2:02 pm

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

122

Ekaterina Saenko / AiF

Traumatologists of the Territorial Center for Disaster Medicine of the Sverdlovsk Region annually provide assistance to over 200 patients with injuries. Most of them are from road accidents and other emergencies – victims do not have time to take any action to reduce injuries. But there are situations, such as ice, when the impact force can be reduced by properly preparing for the fall.

Current advice is given by TCMC traumatologists Sergey Popov and Alexey Melnichenko.

“The first thing we would like to focus the attention of Sverdlovsk residents in the off-season (when the temperature passes through zero degrees during the day, transforming the sidewalk into a skating rink) is the right choice of shoes. It is necessary to abandon high heels and flat soles: this seemingly simple advice is often neglected. Meanwhile, the consequences of a fall, even from a height of one’s own height, can be deplorable: from simple bruises to fractures of the femoral neck and the base of the skull,” Sergey Popov explained.

Stability will give you shoes with bulky soles, anti-slip pads, a cane with a rubber tip – it will serve as an additional point of support. A hat or hood on the head can also mitigate the effects of hitting the head on the ice.

The next important point is to try to walk along the edge of the pavement covered with snow, that is, to avoid slippery surfaces. Walk slowly and often, do not keep your hands in your pockets – you simply will not have time to get them out and you will not be able to insure yourself in case of a fall, while most likely the blow will fall on the hip joint, shoulder or head, the consequences can be the saddest.

Can you help yourself in those few milliseconds before you collapse on the ice? Doctors are in solidarity – you can help, you need to fall correctly. There are several “golden” rules that are designed to reduce the force of impact.

When falling, group (tighten) the muscles as much as possible – this way they will serve as a kind of shock absorber. If you fall on your back – open your arms wide, press your chin to your neck – this will increase the impact area, but reduce its strength. If you fall forward, try to shift the trajectory so that the main bruise does not fall on outstretched arms (there is a high risk of dislocation or fracture of the hand), but on your side. Any objects you are holding at the time of the fall should be thrown aside.

So you fell! Assess your condition, if the movements of the limbs do not cause sharp pain – try to stand up, you can ask for help from passers-by. Rest for a while, as the effects of the impact may take several hours to show.

If immediately after the fall you feel a sharp pain, nausea – do not move, call an ambulance (ask eyewitnesses about it), then follow the recommendations of the doctors.

ice Sergey Popovtraumatologist’s advice Alexey Melnichenko

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Basic Safety Rules for Working with Fall Harness

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June 26, 2023

Working at height is always associated with a risk to human life and health. Therefore, certain safety standards have now been developed and introduced into mandatory use, which have a clear prescription for the use of specialized equipment when working at height. Tethers can be called the key of these devices.

Contents

• Harnesses and how they are determined
• Requirements for a fall arrest harness
• Where to buy a fall arrest harness?

According to the rules on labor protection when working at height, the employer is obliged to issue PPE to the employee depending on the type of work and taking into account the risks that affect the employee.

Safety harnesses, and how their type is determined

Before talking about the types, types and differences of harnesses, you first need to understand what it is in general and for what purposes it is used. The safety harness is an important part of the employee’s personal equipment, it is also a separate element of the safety system, which ensures safety when working at height.

The harness must not restrict the movement of the worker during the movement, however, in the event of a fall stop, keep the worker in himself and ensure that he is hovering with his head up. The task of the connecting system, due to the shock absorber, is to extinguish the jerk force in a range that will not cause serious injury to the worker. Thus, we get a reliable system that works without the participation of the employee himself, provided that it is used correctly.

Taking into account the specifics of work that can be performed at height and highly specialized tasks, harnesses can be used in the following systems:

1. Restraint system. Arranged with restraint harness in order to prevent the worker from entering the fall zone. The system is adjusted to a certain range of movement of the worker, while it is impossible to approach the height difference. This excludes a fall from a height as such. Such a system is used on the condition that all the intended work will be in safe access and access to the fall zone is not expected.
2. Safety systems. Used in situations where it is necessary to carry out work in areas where a fall is possible. Have safety harness included. In this case, the task of the harness is to hold the worker at the time of the fall, distribute the load over the body and stop the head up after the fall.
3. Positioning harnesses are used when a worker needs to be fixed at a height. For this, side points on the harness belt and a special sling are used.
4. Unsupported harnesses . A distinctive feature of such harnesses is the possibility of using them in a cable access system. These systems are used in environments where the entire system, and in particular the harness, is the means of access to the workplace. The harness has padding on the shoulder and hip straps. These changes are made in order to ensure a comfortable stay of a person in a sitting position for a long time.

choose a harness according to the job site

Harness requirements

When choosing from a variety of harnesses, you should be guided by the approved requirements that they must meet. An extended list can be found in the standards GOST R EN 361-2008 Group T58 and the National Standard of the Russian Federation.

According to these regulations, such systems must take into account:

• the presence of single or multi-filament synthetic materials in the composition, their level of tear strength, indicators of compatibility of woven tape and sewing threads with textile material of slings and belts;
• obligatory presence of straps in the hip and shoulder areas, while comparing such systems with a restraint belt cannot be allowed;
• in such constructions, regulators must be present to adjust the leash to the features of the figure, to ensure high and tight fixation of the body of a particular person;
• The straps must be wide enough to prevent them from cutting into the body when the fall is abruptly stopped. Therefore, a minimum width of 4 cm for basic straps is considered acceptable, and for auxiliary straps – from 2 cm.

Where can I buy a harness?

You can find all types of harnesses for safe work at height in our catalogue.