\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. increased warmth, redness, swelling or drainage, or foul odor), Weakness, tingling, or numbness in chest, arms or legs, New loss of bowel or bladder control which can be difficult to determine in infants and toddlers, Deformity which means the limb, joint or bone doesnt look like it normally does, Difficulty moving that body part, or put any pressure or weight on the injured area, The swelling is increasing or skin begins to darken. Sometimes serious injuries arent obvious at the time. A fall down the stairs in which you land hard on your buttocks can result in a painful butt bruise. If your baby has such a fall onto carpet, however, then you should look for signs of head or body injury and contact your doctor if your baby shows any of the warning signs mentioned above. Loss of movement (paralysis) on the opposite side of the body from the head injury. How do I know if my toddler is OK after a fall? Someone with the alert company will respond and contact someone for you or call 911 on your behalf. Stairs Never leave a child alone around stairs even those that are gated. If someone is unconscious, call 911 immediately. [TOMT][MOVIE] Where a kid has a seizure or medical emergency while playing in a cabinet under some stairs. If you dont see any swelling or large bumps on the head or body, there is probably no significant injury. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Connect with a U.S. board-certified doctor by text or video anytime, anywhere. Among the biggest risks associated with falling down the stairs are: Some injuries lead to permanent disabilities. If your ankles are weak, make sure you also include ankle support when walking down stairs. Children younger than 4 years of age were more likely to sustain head trauma than children older than 4 years of age (P less than .005). An ankle sprain or knee sprain occurs when your ligaments that stabilize your joint stretch or tear. A fall down the stairs can be frightening and painful. Child falls from a height greater than 3 feet, such as a countertop, high chair, changing table, or table can result in injury, especially if onto a hard floor. However, sometimes baby falls can be quite serious. A small bump may be serious, and a large bump may mean only a minor injury. Falling down the stairs can cause a concussion if you hit your head. Please note, we cannot prescribe controlled substances, diet pills, antipsychotics, or other abusable medications. Injury to more than one body part occurred in only 2.7% of patients. Liquid substances on steps and landings can cause serious slip and fall accidents. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. If a fall has caused a loss of feeling in any of the extremities, or someone finds it difficult to walk or speak, that person should be evaluated by a doctor immediately. However, if your child falls from a high place such as a high chair, tabletop, countertop, or changing table onto a hard floor, AND you know baby hit head first, you should probably go straight to an ER without even contacting your doctor. All rights reserved. Falling down stairs injures thousands of people a year, and when seniors fall, the consequences can be painful. Step 2: Observe the situation. Use icepacks over any swollen or painful area. Are there certain injuries or symptoms I should be looking for? 2023 Dotdash Media, Inc. All rights reserved, Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. If you must wear tight skirts, walk up and down stairs by putting both feet on each stair, rather than alternating stairs. Filing a slip and fall lawsuit in Tavares typically begins with drafting a complaint letter stating the details of the accident and asserting the responsible party's negligence and liability for the victim's damages. All rights reserved. That worked out to about 100,000 children every year. If your child fell on their back or neck, or hit their head, we suggest that you seek emergency pediatric trauma care if they have any of the following symptoms: If your child fractures a bone, medical attention will absolutely be needed. Give acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain if your child is alert. trademark of Sutter Health , Reg. Which is pretty amazing considering 75 percent suffered injuries to their head and neck. The Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center provides the following clinical update of literature, organized by types of falls and by mechanism of fall, specifically falls from beds, falls down stairs, falls in walkers, falls from heights and fatal falls. It would depend on how the child landed and what they hit in falling. Keep your eyes on the stairs, particularly at the base of the stairway. Your child should never go directly back into a game after they has experienced a head injury and they also shouldnt return to sports until they are back to their baseline normal health before the injury. If your child gets a concussion, its extremely important for them not to get back to being overly active too soon. If your child loses consciousness or exhibits any symptoms commonly associated with a concussion following a collision, IMMEDIATELY remove the child from play andcall 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. 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