During a fall individuals tend to automatically outstretch their hands to help break a fall, which can slam onto the ground causing a falling onto an outstretched hand or FOOSH injury. Should individuals get checked by a healthcare provider if they believe there is no injury?
FOOSH Injuries
Falling down usually results in minor injuries. A FOOSH injury occurs when falling down and trying to break the fall by reaching out with the hand/s. This can result in an upper extremity injury like a sprain or a fracture. But sometimes, falling on one’s hands can lead to serious injuries and/or create future musculoskeletal issues. Individuals who have fallen or suffered a FOOSH injury should consult their healthcare provider and then a physical therapist or chiropractor to safely develop a treatment plan to rehabilitate, strengthen, and expedite recovery.
After The Injury
For individuals who have fallen down and landed on their hand, wrist, or arm, here are a few things to ensure the proper care for the injury, including:
Follow the R.I.C.E. protocol for acute injuries
Visit a healthcare provider or local emergency clinic
Contact a physical therapist
A FOOSH injury could be or become serious, so to avoid letting small issues become big problems, get examined by a musculoskeletal specialist. The healthcare provider will obtain an imaging scan of the injured and surrounding areas. They will perform a physical examination to determine the type of injury, like a sprain or muscle strain. Not getting appropriate medical treatment after a fall can result in chronic pain and loss of function. (J. Chiu, S. N. Robinovitch. 1998)
Common Injuries
A FOOSH injury can injure different areas. These usually involve the wrist and hand, but the elbow or shoulder can also be injured. Common injuries include:
Colles’ fracture
A wrist fracture where the end of the arm bone is displaced backward.
Smith’s fracture
A wrist fracture, similar to a Colles’ fracture, is where the end of the arm bone is displaced towards the front of the wrist.
Boxer’s fracture
A fracture of the small bones in the hand.
Typically, it occurs after punching something, but it can happen from falling on an outstretched fist.
Elbow dislocation or fracture
The elbow can pop out of the joint or can break a bone in the elbow.
Collarbone fracture
The force from falling with the hands and arms outstretched can travel up to the collarbone, causing a fracture.
Proximal humeral fracture
Falling onto an outstretched hand injury can cause the arm bone to get jammed into the shoulder, causing a proximal humeral fracture.
Shoulder dislocation
The shoulder can pop out of the joint.
This can cause a rotator cuff tear or labrum injury.
Regardless of the injury, individuals should visit a healthcare provider to evaluate the damage. If the injury is serious, the practitioner can make an accurate or differential diagnosis and develop a treatment plan. (William R. VanWye et al., 2016)
Physical Therapy
Individuals can benefit from physical therapy to help recover and return to their previous level of function. Physical therapy varies depending on the specific injury, but generally, a physical therapist can help individuals return to function after a fall on an outstretched hand. (William R. VanWye et al., 2016) Common treatments can include:
Treatments and modalities to decrease pain, inflammation, and swelling.
Instruction on how to wear an arm sling properly.
Exercises and stretches to improve the range of motion, strength, and functional mobility.
Balance exercises.
Scar tissue management if surgery was necessary.
The therapy team will ensure the proper treatment is utilized to quickly and safely return to normal activities.
Chiropractic Care For Healing After Trauma
References
Chiu, J., & Robinovitch, S. N. (1998). Prediction of upper extremity impact forces during falls on the outstretched hand. Journal of biomechanics, 31(12), 1169–1176. doi.org/10.1016/s0021-9290(98)00137-7
VanWye, W. R., Hoover, D. L., & Willgruber, S. (2016). Physical therapist screening and differential diagnosis for traumatic-onset elbow pain: A case report. Physiotherapy theory and practice, 32(7), 556–565. doi.org/10.1080/09593985.2016.1219798
Slip and fall accidents are among the most common causes of workplace/job injuries and can happen anywhere. Work areas can have all kinds of slipping or tripping hazards, including uneven or cracked floors, equipment, furniture, cords, wet floors, and clutter from debris. Individuals involved in a slip-and-fall accident can sustain injuries that vary in severity. The key is to see a doctor or chiropractor immediately to document the slipping and falling injuries and develop a personalized treatment and rehabilitation plan. Injury Medical Chiropractic and Functional Medicine Clinic can help.
The type of injury and degree of severity depends on physical and biological factors present during the slipping and falling. These include:
Physical Condition
An individual’s age, size, gender, and health can influence the type of injury sustained.
Height and Location of the Fall
Slipping, tripping, stumbling, or tumbling injuries could be minimal to severe, depending on the force, height, and location.
Surface Impact
The acceleration during the fall and how the body impacts the surface play an important role in the severity of the injury.
Body Position
Protective reflexes, such as outstretched arms, to break the fall or whether or not the body hit the ground directly determine the injury and to what extent.
Symptoms
Muscle pain and tension are the most common symptoms after slipping and falling.
The muscle fibers overstretch, causing inflammation and swelling to develop.
The pain can often start immediately after or a few days later, known as delayed injury symptoms.
If the nerves sustain injury or irritation, they begin to swell, and the body responds to protect the damaged areas.
The contact inflammation and irritation can cause tightness and spasms.
Continuing ongoing discomfort and pain.
Stomach discomfort and pain.
Significant bruising.
Limitations in movement.
Chiropractic Treatment
Chiropractors are experts in slip-and-fall injuries and will use adjustments and various therapy protocols to realign the body and restore function. The objective is to relieve symptoms, rehabilitate the injured area/s, and regain mobility. Physical therapy and strength-building exercises under a specialist’s supervision and at home are implemented to get back the use of the injured body part.
Inflammation
References
Li, Jie, et al. “Slip and Fall Incidents at Work: A Visual Analytics Analysis of the Research Domain.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 16,24 4972. 6 Dec. 2019, doi:10.3390/ijerph16244972
Pant, Puspa Raj et al. “Home-related and work-related injuries in Makwanpur district, Nepal: a household survey.” Injury prevention: journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention vol. 27,5 (2021): 450-455. doi:10.1136/injuryprev-2020-043986
Shigemura, Tomonori, et al. “Characteristics of stepladder fall injuries: a retrospective study.” European journal of trauma and emergency surgery: official publication of the European Trauma Society vol. 47,6 (2021): 1867-1871. doi:10.1007/s00068-020-01339-8
Smith, Caroline K, and Jena Williams. “Work-related injuries in Washington State’s Trucking Industry, by industry sector and occupation.” Accident; analysis and prevention vol. 65 (2014): 63-71. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2013.12.012
Son, Hyung Min, et al. “Occupational fall injuries presenting to the emergency department.” Emergency medicine Australasia: EMA vol. 26,2 (2014): 188-93. doi:10.1111/1742-6723.12166
As individuals advance in age, the risk of falling starts to become a regular concern. An average of one in four adults over 65 suffers from a fall every year. Around twenty percent of falling accidents result in serious injury. However, experiencing one fall increases the risk of future falls significantly. The most common injuries sustained include:
Hip fracture
Head injury
These injuries usually necessitate hospitalization. Therefore minimizing the risks is important for increasing/enhancing an individual’s quality of life and help minimize the financial burdens that can come with these types of accidents.
Risk Factors for Falling
Various factors can determine an increased risk of falling. If there are two or more at the same time, the risk goes up significantly. These factors include:
A physical therapist or chiropractor can assess the home for safety and possible tripping hazards
Regular vision check-ups at least every two years
Spinal Health
Restoring balance to the body will make the biggest difference in increasing overall health. However, pain, stiffness, and poor health can make getting started a difficult challenge. With the right chiropractic and physical therapy team, getting started does not have to be as challenging, with the transition being made as easily and as smooth as possible.
An essential building block for overall optimal health begins with spinal alignment. When the spine is misaligned it can lead to poor nerve circulation/energy. This slows down and interferes with the body’s functions. This is often manifested with poor balance, weakness, and pain. Chiropractic spinal alignment addresses whole-body health. A chiropractic practitioner is specialized in non-invasively and systematically restoring not only the alignment of the spine but the entire body.
Chiropractic Health
Find a chiropractor and talk to them about any health concerns, including falls. A customized chiropractic adjustment treatment plan will be developed along with a fitness and stretching regimen, and dietary adjustments will significantly optimize health and help prevent falls.
Sports Injuries Chiropractic Treatment
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The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, and sensitive health issues and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate and support directly or indirectly our clinical scope of practice.*
Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We also make copies of supporting research studies available to the board and or the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation as to how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900. The provider(s) Licensed in Texas& New Mexico*
References
Hawk, Cheryl et al. �Pilot study of the effect of a limited and extended course of chiropractic care on balance, chronic pain, and dizziness in older adults.��Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics�vol. 32,6 (2009): 438-47. doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2009.06.008
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