This site is intended for healthcare professionals

account_circleSign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Complications

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The primary, obvious complication of a fall is that of injury:

  • laceration, contusion
  • head injury, possibly with subdural haematoma
  • fractured limb, particularly fractured neck of femur
  • fractured rib, which may result in pneumonia
  • wrist fracture (common between the ages 65 and 75) and hip fracture (after 75) (1)

The less obvious consequences include:

  • inability to summon help, resulting in:
    • pressure sores
    • pneumonia
    • hypothermia
    • rhabdomyolysis
  • loss of confidence, which may cause increased dependence and morbidity

Reference:

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page