If you suffer a fall, various outcomes could happen. You might not suffer any injury. In fact, many people walk away from a fall without a need to go to the doctor. Still, a single fall could produce serious consequences. As the CDC explains, one out of five falls results in a serious injury.
A serious injury is something you might recover from, but it is by no means certain. Depending on your age and state of health, a fall injury can debilitate you and make your life difficult going forward.
Broken bones
A fall can break one or more of your bones. You could suffer a bone fracture in places like your wrist, your arm or your leg. Some bone injuries, like a hip fracture, can do great harm. Older people who suffer hip fractures generally require surgery and may lose their ability to walk. Some broken bones protrude through the skin and run the risk of bacterial infection.
Head injuries
A fall that causes your head to strike a solid surface may produce a head injury and even cause damage to your brain. These are injuries older people should be particularly concerned about. You might also be at risk of a brain injury if you take blood thinners. This could lead to brain bleeding or a stroke.
Muscle or nerve injuries
Falling to the ground can do other kinds of damage. You might strain or pull a muscle. If you injure your back muscles, you might be out of work for a while as you try to recover. Some falls can harm the ligaments or other soft tissues, which may impair your ability to move and produce a lot of pain.
Psychological harm
Even if you should avoid any kind of physical injury, a fall can shake you up especially if you are older. You could develop phobias about going to the location where you fell or to places like it. You might even limit your activity so that you do not risk falling again. This can diminish your quality of life and harm your health.
