How to Prevent The Risk of Falling Down Stairs

Falling down the stairs can be incredibly scary, and it can happen to anyone, regardless of their age or physical condition. Whether it’s slipping on a step or struggling with vision, falling down the stairs has the potential to impact your life massively.

Depending on how severe a fall is, your life can change in the blink of an eye. Perhaps you or a loved one has suffered injuries and needed medical attention after falling down a flight of stairs.

Regardless of whether you had a head injury or just minor injuries, you’re probably thinking of every way possible to prevent another fall from happening again. To find out more about how to prevent the risk of falling down the stairs, continue reading.

 

Understanding the Risks

Falling down the stairs isn’t uncommon, and it’s a prevalent household accident that can happen to anyone, regardless of their age group. Young adults and older individuals can fall down the stairs, and this scary accident can happen at any time. Whether it’s down to broken handrails or blurry vision, people fall down the stairs every day.

Unfortunately, some potential hazards can cause more serious injuries, such as head injuries or broken bones. Severe injuries from falling down the stairs often include traumatic brain injuries or a spinal cord injury. No matter the severity of stair-related fall injuries, it’s important to partake in emergency room visits to ensure everything is okay.

Dimly lit staircases can make it difficult for someone to see the steps clearly. This increases the risk of tripping and slipping down the stairs. If you’ve ensured that your staircase is well-lit, you might think that there’s nothing to worry about.

There are numerous factors to take into account when it comes to falling down the stairs. If you have a wooden staircase, you’re much more likely to slip down your stairs in comparison to those with carpet. Wooden staircases can become slippery, especially if they’re wet or worn down.

It’s important to clear up any spillage on your staircase to prevent someone from slipping over. However, in some cases, the type of staircase you have won’t be the problem.

Certain health conditions, such as vision impairment, muscle weakness, or balance disorders, can significantly increase the risk of a fall. If this is the case, it might be time to consider purchasing a stairlift to help you navigate your stairs easily and safely.

 

Common Injuries From Falling Down the Stairs

Falling down the stairs often results in injury. If an injury takes place while you fall down the stairs, you must visit the hospital or call emergency services. Certain injuries have the potential to cause serious effects on your body, including permanent disabilities or internal bleeding.

Enduring an injury could result in you needing physical therapy or pain relief medication, and speaking with a healthcare professional will help you find out what you need to do next. Let’s take a look at some of the most common injuries related to falling down the stairs.

 

Head Injuries

Head injuries are one of the most common injuries to occur during a fall down the stairs. The severity of head injuries ranges from minor head trauma to traumatic brain injury. An injury to your head is likely if you hit a hard surface during a fall, which can sometimes lead to concussions, skull fractures, or other serious complications.

 

Spinal Cord Injuries

While head injuries are common injuries during a fall down the stairs, these types of accidents can also cause spinal injuries, resulting in paralysis or loss of sensation around the area of the injury.

After an accident takes place that affects the spinal cord, it’s important that you either call emergency services or get a family member to take you for medical treatment. Driving with any type of injury can put others at risk.

 

Hip Fractures

Older adults are more vulnerable to hip fractures, which means it’s even more important for older, less independent individuals to keep safety around the stairs area a priority.

Fractures might require surgery and extensive rehabilitation, which can be quite inconvenient. If you’re older and live alone, having a stairlift installed could potentially prevent stair-related fall injuries such as hip fractures from happening.

 

Neck Injuries

Neck injuries are significant and shouldn’t be overlooked. If you fall down the stairs and it results in a neck injury, it can be quite serious.

Whiplash, cervical sprains, and fractures are common neck-related injuries that take place during a trip down the stairs. Neck pain, stiffness, numbness, muscle spasms, and limited head movement indicate a neck injury.

 

Soft Tissue Injuries

Soft tissue injuries can cause a lot of pain and discomfort. Not only can injuries sustained during stair falls cause inconvenience to your everyday life, but they also put everything on hold. Whether it be your work or social life, enduring a sprain or hitting parts of your body is never a nice experience.

 

Is it Time to Have a Stairlift Installed in Your Home?

Have you or someone you know had a few stair-fall accidents recently? If so, now might be the right time to consider purchasing a stairlift. As a property owner, it’s important to be mindful of the various accidents that can occur around the home.

Having a stairlift installed offers a great way to prevent falls and accidents, especially if you struggle with mobility issues. No matter how many bright lights you have placed on your staircase, if you suffer from poor mobility and frequently take a tumble down the stairs, a stairlift installation should be considered.

Here at Halton Stairlifts, we offer a wide range of new and reconditioned stairlifts to choose from. Our expert team of DBS-checked engineers take time to assess your staircase type, ensuring the best-suited stairlift can be installed.

With both indoor and outdoor stairlifts available across our site, navigating your home has never been easier. If you’d like to find out more about our varied selection of stairlifts today, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you soon.