Getting up from the floor safely comes down to a simple sequence: roll to your side, push up to all fours, use a sturdy piece of furniture for support, and rise one leg at a time. Whether you’ve fallen, you’re helping someone who has, or you just want to feel confident doing this on your own, the technique is the same core pattern with a few variations depending on your body and situation.
Before You Try to Get Up
If you’ve fallen, take a moment before moving. Lie still and breathe. Wiggle your fingers and toes, then gently move your arms and legs one at a time. You’re checking for sharp pain, especially in your hips, wrists, and ankles, which are the most common fracture sites in a fall. If something hurts intensely or a limb looks out of position, stay where you are and call for help.
If you feel fine but shaky, that’s normal. Adrenaline after a fall can make you feel rushed. Give yourself 30 seconds to calm your breathing before starting the process below.
The Standard Method: Step by Step
This technique works for most people and requires only a sturdy chair, couch, or low table nearby. Practice it when you’re feeling well so the movement becomes familiar.
- Roll onto your side. Bend the knee of your top leg and use it to help you turn. Place both hands on the floor in front of you.
- Push up to all fours. Walk your hands toward your body and press yourself up into a hands-and-knees position (like a tabletop). Pause here and let your balance settle.
- Crawl to furniture. If there’s no chair within arm’s reach, crawl on all fours to the nearest solid piece of furniture. Avoid anything with wheels or anything lightweight enough to tip.
- Place both hands on the furniture. Grip the seat of the chair or the edge of a couch firmly.
- Bring one foot forward. Step your stronger leg forward so that foot is flat on the floor, knee bent, like a kneeling lunge position.
- Push up to standing. Lean your weight into the furniture and press through your front foot to rise. Keep your chest forward rather than trying to stand straight up, which can throw you off balance.
- Turn and sit. Once you’re upright, turn slowly and sit in the chair. Rest for a minute before walking.
Getting Up Without Furniture Nearby
If there’s nothing sturdy within reach, you can still get up using your own body. From the hands-and-knees position, tuck your toes under and push your hips up and back so you’re in a crouch with your hands still on the ground (similar to a deep squat with hands down). From here, walk your hands up your thighs to push yourself upright, or bring one foot forward into a lunge and press up from there.
This version demands more leg and core strength. If you can’t manage it, the safest option is to crawl to the nearest wall. Press your back flat against the wall, place both feet on the floor with knees bent, and slide yourself up using the wall for support.
Modifications for Joint Pain
If you have arthritis in a knee or hip, the standard all-fours position can put too much pressure on the affected joint. Instead of distributing your weight evenly across both knees, try bearing more weight through your arms and the leg that doesn’t hurt. Kick the painful leg out to the side so you’re in a tripod shape (two hands and one knee on the ground) rather than a full tabletop. Then step up with the stronger leg first.
Placing a folded towel or pillow under the kneeling knee also helps if hard floors make the position painful. If you fall frequently at home, keeping a cushion accessible near common trouble spots (bathroom, bedroom) is a simple precaution.
Why Getting Up Quickly Matters
Lying on the floor for an extended period after a fall is a serious medical concern, especially for older adults. Researchers call this a “long lie,” and the health consequences escalate with time. After just two hours on the floor, people begin developing dehydration, pressure injuries, and drops in body temperature. When lying times extend longer, into many hours or days, the risks include muscle breakdown from sustained pressure (which can damage the kidneys), serious infections, and loss of consciousness. In studies where average lying times exceeded 18 hours, nearly all individuals experienced significant physical harm.
This is why the ability to get yourself off the floor, or having a plan for getting help, is not just a convenience. It’s a genuine safety issue. If you live alone and worry about falls, a medical alert device or even a phone kept in a pocket rather than on a counter can be the difference between a brief scare and a medical emergency.
Electric Floor Lifts for Home Use
If strength or joint problems make it impossible to get up unassisted, electric floor lifts are designed specifically for this situation. These devices sit flat on the ground, you position yourself onto the seat, and a motorized platform raises you to chair height using a remote control. Most models fold for storage and support between 300 and 440 pounds.
Some versions double as bath lifts, with waterproof designs rated for use in a tub. Prices range widely, but basic models start around a few hundred dollars. They’re worth considering if falls are recurring, if a caregiver has difficulty helping with manual lifting, or if you’ve experienced a long lie in the past.
Building the Strength to Get Up Confidently
The floor-to-standing movement draws on your core, glutes, hip flexibility, and leg strength. If any of those are weak, the movement feels shaky or impossible. The good news is that practicing a few targeted exercises regularly makes a measurable difference.
A kneeling get-up is the single most specific exercise you can do: from a kneeling position, step one foot forward and stand, then reverse back down. It builds the exact motor pattern and strength you need. Start by doing this next to a counter or sturdy table so you have something to grab. As your confidence grows, use less support.
Beyond that, spending more time on the floor in general, sitting cross-legged, stretching, or doing simple exercises, strengthens your core and lower body simply because you have to engage those muscles to be there. A few movements that support floor-to-standing ability include side planks (which build core and hip stability), bird dogs on all fours (which strengthen your spine stabilizers and improve balance), and figure-four stretches (which open up the deep hip muscles that tend to tighten with age or prolonged sitting).
Even five to ten minutes of floor-based movement a few times a week helps. The goal isn’t athletic performance. It’s making sure that if you end up on the floor unexpectedly, your body knows what to do next.