What happens when you fall backwards down the stairs?

Answer 1

As an EMT instructor, I tell trainees to consider the mechanism of injury en route to the scene. In this case we would want to know how many stairs (from what height), whether there were objects on the stairs (toys, clothing, etc), how big is the patient, what surface was the landing (carpet, tile, cement, wood), and how much time had passed since the fall.

Once on scene, I would look to make sure the patient's airway is clear and breathing is patent--if they bit their tongue, it could be bleeding and swelling. Then I would determine if he or she had head or neck trauma, followed by trauma to the chest, abdominal/pelvis, and extremities areas. Even if there is no visible wound, bruising, or swelling, I would suspect head/neck trauma and immobilize the neck with a cervical collar until the patient could be assessed by a physician.

I have seen patients with contusions and concussions, broken extremities, broken pelvis, broken necks. Others report whiplash lasting from weeks to months.

Falling downstairs backwards or forwards is dangerous and might be considered a life threat. Make sure your stairs are well lit, free from obstacles like toys or clothing, and has some sort of hand rail (which you USE!). Prevent babies and children from falling by installing a locking safety gate. When carrying items such as laundry and groceries, consider using reusable fabric-type grocery bags with handles so you can hold on to the railing with your other hand.