Aftercare for Fall Accidents
Table of Contents
The seriousness of fall accidents
In construction and manufacturing, fall accidents are among the most frequent and most severe industrial accidents. Falls from height cause combined injuries to the lower back, pelvis, and lower limbs, and even falls from low heights can simultaneously cause wrist fractures, hip impact, and thoracic compression depending on the landing posture.
Multiple contusions and blood stasis (eohyeol)
A defining feature of fall accidents is that multiple sites — not a single site — are injured at the same time. Korean medicine views injuries from contusions through the lens of blood stasis (eohyeol, 瘀血). When the impact damages blood vessels, blood pools between tissues and forms blood stasis. If this stasis is not cleared, it leads to chronic pain, swelling, and joint stiffness.
Intensive treatment to activate blood and remove stasis (hwalhyeol-geoeo)
The core of fall-accident aftercare is removing blood stasis quickly.
- Herbal medicine: Doin-seunggi-tang (Taoren Chengqi Tang) — the leading prescription for the acute phase, with Doin (Persica) and Daehwang (Rhubarb) powerfully expelling blood stasis
- Pharmacopuncture: Jahageo pharmacopuncture (placental extract) — directly injected into the injured area to promote tissue regeneration
- Acupuncture: Xuehai (SP10), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Hegu (LI4) — improve systemic blood circulation
- Cupping: Wet cupping applied around bruised areas to directly remove subcutaneous blood stasis
Managing combined low-back, pelvic, and lower-limb injuries
When you land on the buttocks or feet during a fall, the impact transmits up the chain: ankle → knee → hip → lumbar spine → thoracic spine. Each joint is evaluated individually for injury, and chuna manipulation is used to correct pelvic torsion. If a lumbar compression fracture is suspected, conservative treatment proceeds after imaging.
Stage-by-stage treatment shifts
In the acute phase (1–2 weeks), we focus on removing blood stasis and controlling pain. In the subacute phase (2–4 weeks), we shift to restoring joint range of motion and rebuilding strength. In the recovery phase (after 4 weeks), tonifying qi and blood (boggi-bohyeol) prescriptions raise overall stamina to prepare for return to work. Inpatient care is available, so we strongly recommend hospitalization for severe multi-site injuries.