Falling is a common occurrence as we age, but getting back up can be challenging and risky.  Especially for older adults or individuals with mobility issues. While prevention is key, it’s also important to know how to safely get up after a fall.

Before You Start:

• Assess the situation: Check for any injuries. If you’re in pain or can’t move easily, call for help.
• Find a sturdy object: Look for a chair, table, or wall to use for support.
• Take your time: Don’t rush. Move slowly and carefully.

Steps to Get Up:

• Roll onto your side: If you’re lying on your back, gently roll onto your side.
• Push yourself up to a sitting position: Use your arms to push yourself up to a sitting position.
• Crawl to a sturdy object: Crawl towards the chair, table, or wall you identified earlier.
• Use the object for support: Place your hands on the object and slowly pull yourself up.
• Stand up slowly: Once you’re in a kneeling position, slowly stand up, using the object for support.

Additional Tips:

• Practice: Practice getting up from the floor regularly, even if you haven’t fallen. This will help you build strength and confidence.
• Wear sturdy shoes: Wear shoes with good traction to reduce your risk of falling.
• Remove tripping hazards: Keep your home free of clutter and tripping hazards.
• Consider assistive devices: If you have difficulty getting up on your own, consider using a cane or walker.

When to Seek Help:

• If you experience severe pain or can’t move after a fall.
• If you fall and can’t get up on your own.
• If you fall and experience any of these symptoms: dizziness, confusion, headache, nausea, or vomiting.

Remember: It’s important to get help if you’re unable to get up safely. Don’t hesitate to call a family member, friend, or emergency services for assistance.

Plan for a soft landing

You can’t always avoid a fall, but you may reduce injury by controlling how you fall. Falls happen quickly, and it can be challenging to think fast, but here are some strategies to help soften your landing.

• Lean forward into the fall, which gives you some control over direction.
• Fall sideways, if possible.
• Turn your shoulder into the fall to protect your head.
• Fall like a sack of beans — relax everything.
• Fall on the soft, fleshy places, like your buttocks and thighs. These areas have more protection and are lower to the ground.
• As you complete the fall, try to roll to your side in a ball. This will spread the impact to reduce injury and stop you from rolling farther.

Prevention is the best protection

Exercising, working on balance, and fall-proofing your home are essential. But if you take a tumble and you’re uninjured, can you safely get back up?

“Your body requires certain movements to rise from the ground that we don’t always practice or do as well as we age,” says Janice McGrail, physical therapist and clinical specialist with Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Network. “This is also why it’s often difficult for older adults to get up and down in everyday life, like kneeling in the garden, looking for something under the bed, or playing on the floor with the grandkids.”

Exercises that can help you rise from a seated position and improve your daily up-and-down movements are the kneel-to-stand, crawling, and the sit-to-stand.

“Practicing these also can make you feel more confident about being active and able to live independently,” says McGrail. “The moves also are a way to gauge your current fitness, flexibility, and mobility and identify areas where you need to improve.”

Exercises to practice

Sit-to-stand – Muscles worked: core, legs, hips

This movement helps you practice rising from a seated floor position and is an excellent test of balance, coordination, and overall wellness, as it requires many physical skills.

Sit down on the floor with your legs crossed or straight out. Now stand up again. (This can be a difficult movement, especially for people with sore knees, arthritis, or poor balance, so practice with someone next to you for safety.) Note how you used your body for support.

Repeat the movement again, only this time, grade your effort. Beginning with a score of 10, subtract one point each time you do one of the following for support while sitting or standing: 

Kneel-to-stand – Muscles worked: core, hips, thighs

When you’re on the ground, you often need to stabilize yourself in a kneeling position before you can stand. To practice this move, place a pillow, cushion, or folded towel on the floor. From a standing position, kneel so one knee is on the padding and the other leg is bent, so you are in a “marriage proposal” position. Stay there for one or two seconds, and then stand up.

If needed, push your hand against the bent knee for leverage, or do the exercise next to a chair or table and use it for assistance. Repeat the down-and-up movement five to 10 times. Then repeat, kneeling with the other leg, the same number of times.

Crawling – Muscles worked: core, shoulders, hips

If you fall, you might need to crawl to a couch or chair or another place where you can lift yourself up.

To practice crawling, get into a hands-and-knees position on the floor with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. To crawl, move your right hand and left knee forward, then vice versa. Crawl in one direction for a count of 10, then turn around and crawl back.

Disclaimer:  No content in this article should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

Source: Harvard Health; Written by Matthew Solan, Executive Editor, Harvard Men’s Health Watch. Reviewed by Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing

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