88 HAWAII PARENT NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 ground contact maneuver to prevent injuries,” says Vercruyssen. “Each scenario requires a slightly different course of action, but nearly all can be learned with practice. Regardless of age or ability, there are safe falling skills that can be learned that greatly reduce the risk of injury… Everyone can benefit from learning some basics,” he adds. Contact Hawaii Academy at info@hawaiiacademy.com or (808) 842-5642 for more information on their falling workshops and specialized training clinics. Realize when to see a doctor after a fall. A fall can be scary and may cause a caregiver to immediately call the pediatrician or bring the child to the emergency room. While it’s always better to be safe than sorry, “the majority of the time, these children do just fine without any significant injuries or complications,” says Dr. Vinson Diep, trusted pediatrician with an possible, thereby reducing pressure to any one individual body part,” he says. Second, “do not allow any particularly vulnerable part of your body to land with full force. Instead, spread the fall over a large area of the body,” he continues. “With no horizontal momentum during the fall (such as slipping on ice and falling straight downward), contact the ground as flat as possible while performing a simultaneous slap of the arms and legs on impact (called a breakfall in martial arts). With slight horizontal momentum, perform a rocking motion to distribute/disperse the falling force. With walking speed horizontal momentum, rolling motions are often effective. But, at horizontal speed faster than a run, a strategic slide is necessary; (thus, the reason motorcyclists wear a helmet and leathers.),” Vercruyssen describes. Specifically, “There are about two seconds before ground impact – usually enough time to prepare an appropriate …but no amount of preparation will stop the inevitable! “When should a caregiver bring a loved one to see a doctor after a fall?”
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