2 Ways to Get Up From a Fall

I strongly encourage my clients to practice how to get up from a fall on a regular basis. Today, I am going to demonstrate how to get up after a fall. I will walk you through two techniques you can practice at home.

--Chapters--
0:00 Introduction
0:41 Getting Up from Lying on Your Side
1:53 Crawl to the Chair
5:46 Get Up From Prone Position

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Balance and Fall Prevention

I help many of my clients improve their balance and coach them on fall prevention strategies. However, falls can happen. You might have to get up at night to use the bathroom. It’s dark and you lose your orientation. Before you know it, you experience a fall and you are on the ground.

Hopefully, you have practiced and you know how to get up from a fall. Otherwise, panic could set in and things get worse than they should.

Let’s cover the first way to safely get up after a fall.

How to Get up From a Fall • First Technique

When you are on the ground after the fall, you will roll onto one of your sides.

If you've fallen on your side and that side feels painful, then you might want to, wisely, choose to roll onto the opposite side so that the stronger arm can help you.

You should elevate your torso by pushing up with the arm on the top side and use the bottom arm to hold, or support you, once you have lifted your torso.

Move Towards a Chair

At this point, drag your body across the floor on one arm. This requires some strength. As a result, I encourage you to build your strength with side planks from a lying position. You could practice this press action on the floor or on a firm bed.

The little press movement is what you're going to use to bring yourself to the closest and sturdiest chair that you see.

Move my legs around and gradually bring yourself over using a little step with the arm.

Bring the knees up as you move along the floor.

Use the strength of your legs to push yourself along the floor as you make your way to the chair.

When you get to the chair you could rest your head for a little bit to get your breath.

Get in close to the chair.

Use your arm to lift your torso up so that you can rest your arm on the chair. Take as many pauses as you need in between.

At the Chair • Option 1

From this position, you have two options.

In the first option, put most of the weight on your unaffected side, or the happier side, and lift yourself so that both arms and your upper body are resting on the chair.

Use your good (pain free) side as your power side for arm support.

Use the leg on the opposite side as your power leg.

I suggest you transfer some of the weight forward. Push up through your arm and push down through your foot.

As soon as you can clear the chair, pivot over into the chair.

In the video, I cleared it a lot more than you actually would need to.

As soon as you can get your butt over, scooch over.

At the Chair • Option 2

Consider option two if you make it to the chair and you know you're not going to have the strength in the supporting knee and this shoulder to execute the lift and pivot. In this instance:

Face the chair.

Bring one foot back and then the other foot back.

Press up with most of the weight on the stronger of the two arms.

Walk in the legs far enough that you can then pivot around.

How to Get up From a Fall • Second Technique

I frequently teach my clients this second technique on how to get up from a fall.

Clients that regularly exercise on the ground, find it much easier for them to do on a day-to-day basis.

If you choose this technique, one of the caveats is that you have the flexibility to do this. Here is how to test if you are flexible enough.

Lie on your back.

Lift your leg up.

If you are able to comfortably lift both legs close to 90 degrees, say between 75 and 90 degrees, then this technique is a real viable option for you to use.

Go flat on your hands or your knuckles - whichever is more comfortable for you.

If you have fallen and landed on your shoulder, roll onto your stomach.

From here, tighten up your tummy muscles and push back.

You need to get your butt up in the air behind you.

Push back through your forearms with your butt up.

At this point, widen the space between your knees and keep the feet the same width as your knees.

Push up onto your knuckles or onto flat hands - depending on your wrists and your hands.

Toes tucked in.

Press and walk your hands back towards your feet.

As soon as you can get your forearms onto your legs, take the weight off of your spine.

Walk yourself up.

If you found that this technique worked well for you, practice it every day. Come down into the short-stop position and then come down onto the ground.

From here, come straight down onto your tummy, keep your tummy muscles nice and tight as you do so.

[margaretmartinpt]

I walk you through two techniques to get up from a fall. You can practice these at home.

[richarda.valdes]

What I would like to see is a person 80 years old and overweight actually using your techniques😊. At your age I could get up and down with no problem . Now at 80 (😢) and overweight I’d like to learn how to get up easier..

[low]

Oh mercy this has just saved me! I fell out of bed and have been sitting on the floor struggling to get up. I tried your first method, and I got straight up! I have more strength in my legs than I think but not in my knees. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[bonnieeickhoff]

Excellent instructions, so calming too. I ended up on the floor several weeks ago, bone-on-bone hip and both knees. It took me about 15 minutes to get up to the bed. I did a lot of talking to myself to stay calm, to focus, to keep trying different positions. I ended up on my good hip side, scooting over to a stable stool to get some leverage. The curled toes in your instructions is exactly what I did, painful but so necessary to get the bottom and thighs up in the air. Thank you so very much!

[Myrmecia]

There is a psychological side to this, too. I lived in with my parents-in-law while they were in their late 80s and 90s. In their cases, they saw no need to practise getting up off the floor. But when they started falling (well over 50 times all up between them) they were too old to get motivated to practise.
I became an expert picker-upper.
The lesson is: begin practising years in advance of when you will really need it. You'll be training your muscle memory as well as your muscles.

[lilaalabed]

Thank you for this video. I fell a couple of days ago and scared myself and my husband. It took quite a while to get up because I hurt myself with the fall. No broken bones, but sure got bumped up a bit. I will keep this video in mind if it should ever happen again. In the meantime, I am going to work on my muscle strength. Again, thank you.🙂

[johnpeter]

At 77 200# I've had one bad fall but I have been working on deep squats for a year. I got up with a one legged squat.
I'm all over the place on YT but do come back to Margaret Martin often.
Thank you for your work. 😊

[cathielanier]

9 30 central time. The problem I see is that a good part of the time you are on your knees. If you have had a complete knee replacement it is impossible to put any pressure on it. If your knee is bone on bone and needs surgery, it will hurt just as bad. Even a pillow will not help the pain.

[vaneta]

I call the last one the toddler way, it is how the little ones get up after a fall and how I too get up off the floor😊

[pattivonbormann]

I'm so grateful for this detailed lesson. will practice . I did have a spinal fusion and have week leg muscles

[einstein]

THANK YOU so much for these 2 methods; I have fallen numerous times. I do have 2 knee replacements, and arthritis. I am usually lucky enough to find a pillow, but once I fell outside and crawled to a 4” step. But if I had known to use my toes from there I could have gotten up. I quit going outside because it was truly terrifying to not be able to get up. I will practice your method until I am proficient. Blessings to you!

[adelabrouchy]

I could stand up with the position of both arms on the chair an pushing down with them and the hands because both my knees were useless because of the pain I was feeling. Scary to see oneself again in that moment when you are alone and feel helpless. Thank you for the other options. Very useful.💖

[Idkidkidk]

Thank you so much it was very helpful!

[karenwalls]

This is wonderful, can I suggest showing these techniques with using a larger framed person into this video and you showing how a larger person can manipulate getting up.

[annasophia]

Thank you! The information you gave was very helpful.

[TheLakingc]

Thank you. These are very helpful ideas. I think i have forgotten how to get up! I have gotten heavy since it hurts so much to walk. It would take multiple surgeries to make it work again, and the surgeries so far actually made me have new worse problems. New surgeons, i realize have not a clue and just want practice, and the fee, of course. So, i decided to make the best of what i have. Falling or climbing up into the truck bed, or loft is nearly impossible because it means getting on my knees. The pain of kneeling is unbearable, but so is never getting up! Knee pain will get better, a stroke or death, probably might not. 😄 But one time when i fell, i realized my instinctive ability, learned as a baby, to get up was gone. I had to get creative and rocked back and forth putting books under my butt cheeks until I could grab something and pull up. I also could butt walk to a chair or couch and do what you said. However, there are times with no chair or couch? This has been the most helpful video yet, especially that second option, thank you. I think that is how babies do it in a way, too. PTs only give exercises that make my joints swell up. I quit after trying 5. Not one had practical advice like this. ❤

[bettywhitener]

Thanks for referring to the floor as the floor and not the ground…to me the ground only applies to being outside…when inside it is the floor..Enjoyed your video…82 yrs old ..not sure I could use my flat hand due to wrist issues nor the knuckles due to arthritis…
BW..Richmond VA

[kainwi]

I have been using the method where you bring up one knee and then push on it to get up by using one or two hands when there isn't a chair around. I like your way better. It is funny that when you're young you don't think how you're getting off the floor and now you have to.

[drranigupta]

I had bilateral Tk R, and i am scared to put pressure on knees .I like your exercise and i an going to give it a try . Thank you

[jimmcconnell]

Good video for getting up from a fall. I have weakness in my legs from spinal stenosis so getting up is no easy thing. I see a physiotherapist twice a week to stretch and strengthen my legs but still experiencing this weakness when climbing stairs or getting off the floor from a kneeling position. Do you have any suggestions that would help?