How to Fall Down a Flight of Stairs
Original photo by Alessia Cocconi on Unsplash.
Lower your center of gravity.
When you sense yourself falling, crouch low to the floor.
Do not attempt to break your fall.
Avoid using your hands to try to break your initial fall. The weight of your body, in conjunction with the gravitational forces of the fall, may break your wrists.
Move to the inside wall.
As you fall, keep your body close to the wall of the stairway, if there is one. You are more likely to catch an arm or a leg in the banister (or fall through or over it) than to injure yourself on the wall.
Tuck.
Move your arms, legs, hands, and knees in close to your body. Tuck your chin to your chest. With your elbows tucked in, place your hands on the sides of your head
Roll in a zigzag pattern.
Concentrate on rolling on your major muscle groups: lats (back), deltoids (shoulders), quads (thighs), and gluteus maximus (rear end). Avoid rolling head over heels, straight down: Your increasing momentum may cause injury, even with your body positioned correctly. Instead, roll in toward the wall on one shoulder, then out toward the banister on the other. Repeat the pattern until you reach the bottom. A zigzag roll will help you reduce speed and maintain control. Do not attempt the zigzag roll on a stairway with an old, rickety banister, an open railing, or no banister at all
Check for injury.
Do not get up immediately. Slowly move each limb in turn to make sure nothing is broken. If you are in extreme pain, yell for help.