Falling (accident)
| Falling | |
|---|---|
| Falling is a normal experience for young children, but falling from a significant height or onto a hard surface can be dangerous. | |
| Specialty | Emergency medicine |
| Complications | Head injury, concussion, bone fracture, abrasion, bruise |
| Risk factors | Convulsion, vision impairment, difficulty walking, home hazards |
| Frequency | 226 million (2015) |
| Deaths | 527,000 (2015) |
Falling is the phenomenon of a person or animal losing balance and limb support for the core, causing the head and torso to end up in a lower position, often on the ground. Mechanical fall is the medical term that describe falling from standing not caused by altered/loss of consciousness (syncope), and a trip is a mechanical fall due to unwanted interactions with other objects in the environment when walking, running or jumping, usually an unintended contact between the feet and things on the ground.
Falling is the second-leading cause of accidental death worldwide and a major cause of personal injury, especially for the elderly. Falls in older adults are a major class of preventable injuries. Construction workers, electricians, miners, and painters are occupations with high rates of fall injuries.
Long-term exercise appears to decrease the rate of falls in older people. About 226 million cases of significant accidental falls occurred in 2015. These resulted in 527,000 deaths.