Coffee Break

How Long Should You Be Sore After a Fall?

With a law degree under his belt and years of experience, Mark Scott set off to make the law more accessible to all. He decided to help people lost in the maze of legal terminology to find their way. Mark writes clear and concise pieces and gives simple advice that is easy to follow. On account of positive feedback from readers, he decided to dedicate more of his time to this goal and became a legal columnist. In his writings, Mark covers a wide array of topics, like how to seek legal counsel, or how to deal with different procedures. Furthermore, he directs his readers toward other trustworthy resources for more in-depth information.

How Long Should You Be Sore After a Fall?

Determining how long you should still be feeling the ill effects of a fall is very difficult without close examination of your particular situation. Many different factors can affect the length of your recovery time. Some of the things that can come into play are your age, the severity of your fall, and any other medical conditions with which you may be afflicted.

If you were injured in a fall and feel like it is taking longer than it should for the pain to dissipate, you should consult with a doctor. Your injury may be more severe than you first thought, and a doctor can do a proper evaluation.

Falls Can Have Serious Consequences

Many people often dismiss falls, but they can be quite dangerous, especially for the elderly. In the United States, millions of elderly people are treated for fall injuries every year.  Falls are the number one cause of hip fractures and the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries among senior citizens.

If you had a fall caused by the negligence of another party, contact a lawyer for slip and fall injuries to discuss your options. These injuries can lead to substantial financial and quality of life costs.

While not all falls result in hospitalizations, recovery from a less severe tumble can still be quite lengthy. Even a minor fall can lead an older person to become warier of falling. The fear of falling can result in them leading a less active lifestyle. Less activity causes them to become weaker, which ironically increases their chances of falling and hurting themselves.

Factors in Longer Healing Times

When an injury is taking longer to heal than you expect, it can become very frustrating. Understanding the reasons that your healing may be taking longer than expected is an important part of healing faster.

Age

One of the most common reasons for a slow healing process is age. Unfortunately, as our bodies grow older, they begin to break down on us. Part of that breakdown is a slower healing process. Aside from taking care of our bodies as well as we can, there isn’t much that can be done to make us heal quicker when we are older. The best we can do is be patient about the process.

Mental Health Issues

Another common problem that challenges the healing process is failing mental health. When we are struggling with depression and anxiety, it impairs our ability to heal. Unfortunately, slow recovery and depression can become a vicious cycle. The longer it takes to heal, the more depressed people often become. The more depressed they become, the longer it takes them to heal.

Talking to a mental health professional can help alleviate your depression and anxiety and get you back to full health quicker. Also, surrounding yourself with friends and family can be a plus. Watch funny movies. Sometimes laughter really is the best medicine.

Other Health Problems

When you are dealing with other health problems, you may notice a slowed healing process. This is especially true if those health problems cause you to have decreased blood flow. Your bloodstream is the freeway upon which the necessary building blocks for healing are delivered to the area in need.

If you are suffering from multiple injuries, or an injury and an illness, you will likely take longer to heal. Your immune system will not be working on any one problem with full intensity. Instead, it will be operating at a diminished capacity as it is fighting on multiple fronts at the same time.

Lifestyle Choices

Many other factors that can slow the healing process are simple lifestyle choices. A poor diet, the consumption of drugs and alcohol, and smoking tobacco all have the potential to make you heal from an injury much slower.

If you have suffered an injury due to a fall, you probably want to heal and move forward as quickly as possible. Eating healthy, taking a break from bad habits, having patience, and remembering to laugh are your best tools to get things back to normal.

Don’t let negative behaviors and thought patterns keep you sidelined for longer than necessary. The quicker you can heal, the better life will be.