Blog Post

Accidents can happen to anyone, whether you’re at home, work, the gym, or any number of other places. Falling is quite common in the elderly (up to 30% sustained injuries from falls), but studies show that 75% of the time, for people of all ages, falls happen in the home, most often in the bathroom.

This can lead to minor scrapes and bumps or fractures and other injuries that need medical attention. 

Residents of the Houston and Spring, Texas, area looking for help with falls and other injuries can find quality care from our dedicated team at Houston Medical ER.

Here, we discuss when a fall means a trip to the emergency room by examining the reasons they happen, what kind of damage they do, and how severe the injury needs to be for emergency help.

Common reasons for falls

Regardless of location, there are several common reasons people fall down:

Wet or uneven surfaces

Water or other liquids on the floor or grounds are a frequent source of fall risk, along with uneven walking surfaces that may lead you to trip.

Weather conditions

Rain, sleet, or snow outside can cause hazardous conditions for walking on sidewalks and streets as well as lead to fall risk if people drag wet clothes and material in from this weather.

Poor lighting

If you can’t see well, it makes knowing where to step much more difficult. And if there are other hazards in that area, the risk of injury is even greater.

Poor footwear choices

High heels or shoes that don’t have any form of grip make it harder to move on certain surfaces, creating more of a fall risk.

Trip hazards

Cords, wires, boxes, and other objects in your way raise your risk of tripping on something and getting hurt.

Damage it does to the body

There are a wide variety of problems a fall can cause, depending on what height, what surface, and what part of the body is affected. This includes sprains, strains, bruises, pain, fractures, breaks, cuts, bruises, and concussions. 

Your arms, legs, hips, back, neck, and head are often affected during a fall, and the impact can affect mobility, balance and coordination.

When an injury is bad enough for emergency care

Damage to bones and tissue should get medical attention regardless of severity, but some issues require immediate attention, including:

• Persistent and severe pain — when the pain from a fall doesn’t go away or hurts worse, get medical help
• Immobility — if a fall makes the injured part of your body less functional and harder to use, get help as soon as you can
• Head and neck injuries — concussions can be a lasting problem if severe enough, and neck injuries can pose a risk for whiplash or paralysis
• Spinal cord injuries — mid to lower back injuries can also compromise mobility and possibly lead to paralysis
• Broken bones — any sort of broken or fractured bone should get medical attention

Falls can happen to anyone, and when they do, if you need medical attention, contact Houston Medical ER as soon as possible. We’re located in Houston and Spring, Texas.