Texas might not get many white Christmases, but we still get a good amount of winter rain and ice, and that can put you at a real risk of a serious slip-and-fall accident.
Winter in Texas this year is expected to be wet and cold, so make sure you’re prepared by reading up on what to do if you suffer a serious fall.
1. Check for Injuries
The first thing you’ll need to do after suffering a serious fall is check for injuries. If you think you are uninjured, you can try to get up slowly. However, if you’ve been seriously injured, you will need to wait for help before trying to stand.
If you think you’ve been injured, stay calm and call for help. If help doesn’t arrive soon, you will need to start taking steps to keep yourself warm. This might include moving from hard floors to carpet or moving away from drafty areas. If there’s a blanket in reach, use it and keep yourself moving as much as you can. If you can reach a glass of water or a water bottle, keep yourself hydrated.
2. Getting Off the Floor
If you don’t think you’ve been seriously injured, you can try to get up off the floor. The best way to keep yourself safe while trying to stand up after a fall is to start by rolling onto your side and pushing up into a sitting position. You can then slowly get onto your hands and knees to crawl to a sturdy chair or couch to use for support.
Kneel so that your strongest side is facing the support, and slowly slide your strong leg forward until your foot is flat on the floor. You can then put both your hands on the support and use it to push yourself up from the floor, keeping the majority of your weight on your strong foot and arms. Sit in the chair and rest for several minutes before attempting to stand.
3. Seek Medical Attention
While some falls are minor and won’t require medical care, it’s important to carefully decide whether or not you need medical attention after a serious fall. First, you should seek emergency medical attention if you experience any of the following:
- Loss of consciousness
- Extreme pain
- Vomiting
- Slurred speech
- Confusion
- Pain that worsens with movement
- Bleeding that lasts longer than a few minutes under applied pressure
In general, if you hit your head during a fall, you should seek emergency medical attention.
Some fall injuries won’t require emergency medical attention, but they will need care in order to heal. You should see a physician for non-emergency care after a fall if you experience any of the following symptoms in the days and weeks after:
- Headaches
- Bruising that doesn’t go away
- Slurred speech
- Numbness
- Mood swings
- Trouble concentrating
- Trouble reading or writing
- Stomach pain
If any injury or pain from your fall doesn’t go away within two weeks of your fall, you should see a physician for care.
4. Treat Minor Injuries
Finally, many falls won’t cause serious injuries, but most will cause at least a few bumps and bruises. If you’ve been hurt but aren’t suffering from an emergency injury, you can take steps to treat the problem at home.
If you’ve banged or bumped part of your body, you can get pain relief and start healing by following the RICE method: rest, ice, compression, and elevate. Get plenty of rest, ice the area with cold packs for about 15 minutes every few hours, wrap gently with a bandage, and elevate above the level of your heart.
Get Non-Emergency Care for Falls at Physician’s Injury Clinic
Most of us take it for granted that we’ll be fine after a simple slip-and-fall accident, but the truth is that these types of accidents can be incredibly dangerous. After all, falls are among the top causes of emergency room visits.
If you’ve suffered a fall, you may need a full medical exam to check for serious harm. If you’re dealing with the effects of a serious, non-emergency fall, come see a physician at Physician’s Injury Clinic to learn about your options for treatment.
