Blog

Pediatric Injuries – What To Do If Your Child Takes A Fall

22/02/2018

Children are prone to bumps, bruises, falls during their early years of life, and these are all part of a curious and active child. Knowing some practical steps and proper planning will prevent these injuries from occurring.  Typically by the age of 3 a toddler has had 3 major falls and by the age of 7 they have had hundreds to thousands of falls.  Unfortunately the brunt of the falls impact the spine or the skull, which house the master control system of the body, the nervous system.  Now imagine if you fell that many times in that same time period as an adult…ouch!  Falls, regardless of who they affect, do impact the body.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1000 child deaths could have been prevented with enough knowledge on injury prevention measures.

Here some things to look for and do after your child takes a fall:

Tend to Them Right Away

Although sometimes kids cry due to shock vs. injury, you want to assess if there is actually any damage, cuts or bruises or open wounds. Little or big, any injury requires a little assessment and some attention.

Find Out What Happened

If you didn’t see it first-hand, try to assess what exactly happened. Did they fall off a chair, did they fall down a few steps, did they bump into a table, etc. By knowing what happened you can assess if it is serious.

Check For Swelling

Any bump or fall, you want to check for any swelling. If they took a hit, and you know the area that may have been affected, perhaps an ice pack is needed. The sooner you apply the ice pack the less something may swell.

Monitor

Monitor them after any spill. Watch for signs, if they are acting different, if they are consistently telling you something hurts, if there is any bruising or additional swelling that you didn’t expect. Any change, you should seek help.

Treatment

If it is something that can be easily treated just at home, ensure you do so. However, if you are unsure if it is serious, or beyond your control – don’t wait nor hesitate. It’s better to know asap vs. waiting.

It is important to be aware of common pediatric injuries and it’s best to contact a doctor immediately for symptoms like limping, soreness, swelling & tenderness, increased pain during physical activities and difficulty in sleeping.

At Rai Chiropractic, we focus on a lot of issues with children. Should you be concerned about your child’s overall well-being  we encourage you to have them assessed to make sure they are functioning at their absolute optimum.  We feel it is vital to prevent injuries, but also address issues such as sleep or concentration, in efforts to keep your children focused and strong.

Contact us today at 604-371-4320