A fall can happen in seconds. You miss a step, a curled rug edge trips you, or you stub your toe on a bedpost. Back in the winter, I slipped on wet mud going down a hill and belly-flopped onto the ground. I didn’t seem to have damaged anything, other than my pride, but adrenaline masked the pain of the ribs I fractured.
When you do fall, the first thought is, “Should I see a doctor?” A toddler’s physiology is far different from that of an older adult. A head injury can be substantially riskier than a fall where you land on your bottom.
Knowing when to seek medical care after a fall all comes down to the fall, the victim’s age, any underlying health conditions, and the appearance of red flags. We’ve created a guide on when to seek medical care and when to go to your doctor, urgent care, or the emergency department.
Guidelines for Specific Age Groups
Throughout your life, your body goes through different physiological stages. Toddlers have flexible bones and a softer skull. Young adults have peak muscle strength, reaction times, and tissue repair. Older adults experience a metabolic slowdown that often leads to weight gain, decreased bone density and muscle mass, and declining vision and hearing.
Because healing and fall severity vary, it’s important to consider the person’s age when deciding what to do after a fall.
Infants and Toddlers: Ages 0 to 4
Infants and toddlers have flexible bones and a softer skull. They’re also prone to falling as they learn motor skills like balance.
Take them to the ER for any bulging soft spot or bump on the head that keeps getting bigger. If they’re vomiting several times after a fall, go to the ER. It’s a good idea to go to urgent care if they throw up once.
If they fall a substantial height, such as an infant rolling off a changing table, go to urgent care, even if they’re acting fine. If the pupil size is unequal or eyes are tracking after a fall, go to urgent care.
Watch for hesitance or refusal to use an affected limb. This can signal a fracture or sprain, and X-rays are necessary. Finally, if there is any change in behavior, such as irritability or sleepiness, go to urgent care.
Children and Teens: Ages 5 to 17
School-aged children and teens typically fall during extracurricular sports, recess/playground time, and popular childhood activities like riding a bike, using a scooter, or playing on a backyard trampoline. Greenstick fractures (softer bone bends and fractures only on one side), sprains, and concussions are all risks at this age.
Go to an urgent care any time a child takes a blow to the head and experiences symptoms like dizziness, sensitivity to light, or nausea. If a child has severe pain in a joint or bone, get X-rays.
If there’s an obvious dislocation or extreme pain appears over a growth plate (ankle, knee, or wrist), go to urgent care for immediate examination. If the fall caused cuts with gravel or dirt embedded under the skin, have an urgent care doctor clean and dress the wound.
Adults: Ages 18 to 64
As an adult, the typical mindset is to walk it off. You fell, but you think the damage is minor. You go with a wait-and-see approach. When you wait, you risk having the bone heal incorrectly. It can lead to chronic joint damage.
Any fall from a height or while using a bicycle, scooter, or motorized vehicle should be assessed by a doctor. Head trauma is not something you should “wait and see,” as it could end up being too late by the time signs of severe head trauma appear.
If a day or two passes and your joint pain, swelling, or stiffness is worsening, go to urgent care.
Any fall that impacts your ability to move an arm or leg, grasp objects normally, or complete tasks that you typically do each day requires a trip to the doctor. If you fall and struggle to turn your neck, you shouldn’t get behind the wheel.
Older Adults: 65 or Older
Older adults have a higher risk of injury due to lower bone density and thinner skin. Collagen production and fat stores decrease in later life, so there’s less padding. Delicate skin splits more easily than it does when you’re younger.
You may also find it harder to maintain your balance because of muscle loss and vision changes. If you’re on medications, the side effects can worsen things.
After any fall, see a doctor if you don’t know why you fell. Go to urgent care if you felt dizzy and then fell or are dealing with pain and may have fractured or sprained a bone or joint. If you have an underlying health condition, urgent care is essential.
Seek emergency care if you’re on blood thinners and fall, especially if you hit your head.
Certain Medical Conditions Increase the Necessity for Medical Care
Certain health conditions carry risks that may require you to go to the ER or urgent care.
- Blood Thinners: Go to the ER if you’re on blood thinners due to the risk of internal bleeding. Diabetes: Because neuropathy (reduced nerve sensation) can make it hard to feel issues in your feet, go to urgent care to have any foot or ankle injury examined.
- Joint Replacement History: If you’ve had a joint replacement and fall, go straight to the ER for an evaluation.
- Osteoporosis: Because your bones are thinner, go to urgent care for X-rays after a fall.
Red Flags: When to Call 911 or Head to the ER Immediately
No matter the person’s age, some falls require immediate medical care. Call 911 or an ambulance.
- Changed Mental State: If the person seems confused, is extremely drowsy, fails to recognize immediate family, the date/year, or their location, or has slurred speech, urgent medical care is necessary. Confusion, slurred speech, and a drooping face or arm are all signs of a stroke, and time is of the essence.
- Chest Pain/Difficulty Breathing: A fall can lead to cracked or broken ribs. If breathing is difficult or there’s significant chest pain, go to the ER.
- Inability to Bear Weight: When the pain or injury is so severe that the person cannot put weight on the joint, emergency care is essential.
- Loss of Consciousness: If the fall caused the person to pass out or faint, seek immediate medical care.
- Open Fractures or Visible Deformities: If the bone is poking against the skin, has an unnatural bend, or has broken through the skin, go right to the ER.
- Severe Pain in the Back, Head, or Neck: Take any extreme pain in the head, neck, or spine seriously, especially if you also have tingling or numbness in the legs or arms.
- Uncontrolled Bleeding: Cuts from a fall should stop bleeding after 10 or 15 minutes of firm pressure. If they’re still bleeding after 15 minutes, you take blood thinners, or if you see muscle or bone, go straight to the hospital.
Premium Urgent Care welcomes walk-ins throughout the week and on weekends. You’ll see a doctor faster, and urgent care is often less expensive than the emergency department.
We have a full team of medical professionals and a lot of the same equipment you’d find in an ER. Whether you need a wound cleaned and sutured or X-rays, Premium Urgent Care’s doctors provide quality care with shorter wait times. Check in online before you arrive to save time.