Practice Getting Up from the Floor

One way to help reduce the risk of falling is to practice getting up from the floor regularly. Often as we age, we avoid getting down on the ground to avoid the groaning that invariably takes place as we work to get back up again. This contributes to a lack of agility over the years that can increase our risk of falling.

One good way to maintain agility is to practice getting up from the floor every week.

To start, you must get on the floor. That may seem daunting.

For those of you who feel you should be able to get down to the floor with just a little instruction follow these steps. (For those who feel that getting onto the floor is not an option, see the instructions for practice that can be done on your bed at the end of this article.)

Here’s one way to get on the floor with control.

1. Stand by a sturdy piece of furniture like a couch or solid chair and bend at the waist so that your hands can rest on the seat.
2. Slightly bend the knee of your weakest leg so that you can use your arms and strong leg to lower yourself to one knee.
3. Place your other knee and both hands on the floor.
4. Lower your chest to the floor and slide your legs out behind you until you lying on your stomach.

Now you’re on the floor! Unfortunately, most of the time when we fall to the floor we end up on our side and then our back. Before you practice getting up, you’ll need to roll onto your back. I’m going to describe this with directions to roll onto your right side before finally rolling onto your back. You can reverse the instructions if you need to roll to the other side

1. Place your hands under your shoulder so you can push your chest off the floor slightly.
2. Slide your right hand through the space between your left arm and torso. This should make you feel off balance.
3. Roll onto your right side.
4. If you haven’t already rolled onto your back, lift your left arm toward the ceiling and then behind you.

Now you’re on your back and you might be feeling a little stranded. Not to worry. If we reverse all these steps, we can get back up!

Here’s one way to roll to the right side and onto your stomach

1. Bend your left knee and place your foot flat on the floor.
2. Rotote the left knee to your right side as you reach with your left hand to your right side. You should now be on your right side and you may feel like your right arm is trapped.
3. Use your left arm to push your chest off the floor slightly and pull the right arm through so you can place your right hand under your chest. (You may need to straighten your left leg also.)
4. Push yourself up onto all fours by straightening your elbows and shifting your weight backwards.
5. Place your hands on the sturdy piece of furniture.
6. Place the foot of your strongest leg flat on the floor so that you are now kneeling on one knee.
7. Use your hands and strong leg to push yourself up.
8. Instead of standing up directly, rotate to one side so you can sit on the chair.

If you’re not confident that you can get up from the floor with these instructions, start by practicing rolling onto your stomach and then moving into kneeling on all fours on your bed first.

Carefor’s Allied Health Team in Ottawa can support seniors improve their mobility and recover from injury quickly. To learn more about how to access their services visit www.carefor.ca/rehabilitation