{"id":7344,"date":"2026-09-06T23:24:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T23:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visiting-angels.co.uk\/cheshire-east\/?p=7344"},"modified":"2026-09-06T23:25:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T23:25:50","slug":"how-long-does-it-take-to-recover-from-a-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visiting-angels.co.uk\/cheshire-east\/how-long-does-it-take-to-recover-from-a-fall\/","title":{"rendered":"How long does it take to recover from a fall?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Quick summary<\/b><\/h3>\n

Bruising and soreness settle over two to three weeks. A broken wrist does most of its healing between six and twelve weeks. A broken hip takes around six months, and only 40 to 60 per cent of people get back to how they moved before. <\/span>Getting the confidence back takes longer than any of it<\/b>, and nobody warns you about that part.<\/span><\/p>


<\/span><\/p>\n

How long does the bruising and soreness last?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Usually two to three weeks, and it typically gets worse before it gets better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adrenaline masks pain on the day. Bruising then darkens and spreads over the following 24 to 48 hours as swelling develops, which is why <\/span>day two often feels worse than the fall itself<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

If there was a bump to the head, the NHS says symptoms can persist for up to two weeks, and anything still there after that should go to a GP (<\/span>NHS, Head injury and concussion<\/span><\/a>). What should not be waited out is a headache that keeps building, repeated vomiting, drowsiness, new confusion or new weakness. Those need 999.<\/span><\/p>


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How long does a broken wrist take to heal?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Most of the healing happens between six and twelve weeks.<\/b> Aches and discomfort beyond that are normal, particularly when trying something you have not done for a while, and the area can stay more sensitive for several months (<\/span>NHS inform, Wrist fracture<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

A wrist fracture is the classic fall injury, because the hand goes out to break the fall. It is also the injury families most often underestimate, since a plaster cast looks minor next to a hip.<\/span><\/p>\n

Think about what one working hand means in practice. No tin openers, no jars, no doing up buttons, no getting out of a bath, no carrying a full kettle. Six weeks of that is when we see short term support most often needed. <\/span><\/p>


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How long does it take to recover from a broken hip?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Longer, and more honestly than most sources put it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over 70,000 people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland break a hip each year (<\/span>National Hip Fracture Database, 2025 report on 2024<\/span><\/a>). Research following people over the year after a hip fracture found that objective recovery of physical function was largely complete within the first six months, while how people rated their own functioning kept improving up to around nine months.<\/span><\/p>\n

The harder figure is this one. <\/span>Of the people who survive a hip fracture, only 40 to 60 per cent recover their previous level of mobility<\/b> or their ability to manage everyday tasks such as shopping and housework (<\/span>Orthogeriatrics, Rehabilitation Following Hip Fracture<\/span><\/a>). Around 20 per cent of people who have a fall related hip fracture need long term care within the first year.<\/span><\/p>\n

That is not a reason to give up on rehabilitation. It is a reason to take it seriously from week one, and to be realistic about what home will need to look like.<\/span><\/p>


<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Injury<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n

\n

Typical healing time<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n

\n

What usually helps<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

\n

Bruising and soft tissue soreness<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

2 to 3 weeks, worst on days 2 and 3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Rest, ice early, gentle movement, pain relief<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Minor head injury<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Symptoms up to 2 weeks<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Rest, no alcohol, someone nearby for the first 24 hours, GP if it lasts longer<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Wrist fracture<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Most healing at 6 to 12 weeks, sensitivity for months<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Cast or splint, then hand therapy, plus practical help at home<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Hip fracture<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Around 6 months for physical function, up to 9 months for how it feels<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Early physiotherapy, bone protection medication, strength work, home support<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Confidence<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Often longest of all, and it does not resolve on its own<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Graded return to activity, strength and balance exercise, and talking therapy where exercise alone is not enough<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Why do I feel worse two days later?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Because the adrenaline has gone and the inflammation has arrived. Pain, stiffness, bruising and swelling all typically peak in the 24 to 48 hours after a fall rather than at the moment of impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

The thing to watch is the direction of travel.<\/b> Soreness that is easing by day four is doing what it should. Hip, groin or thigh pain that keeps worsening, or a leg that will not take weight, needs assessment that day, because an incomplete hip fracture can be missed at first and announce itself later.<\/span><\/p>


<\/span><\/p>\n

Why am I still frightened months later?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Because fear of falling is a recognised consequence of falling, not a personal failing, and it is common enough to have its own research literature.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reported prevalence varies widely, from around 20 per cent to over 80 per cent depending on the population studied, and it is consistently higher in people who have already fallen (<\/span>Scheffer and colleagues, Age and Ageing, 2008<\/span><\/a>). It is associated with reduced activity, avoidance of things people used to do, low mood, less social contact and lower quality of life.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a loop in that.<\/b> Fear leads to doing less, doing less leads to weaker legs, and weaker legs make another fall more likely. The fear turns out to be partly right, which is what makes it so hard to argue someone out of.<\/span><\/p>\n

NICE treats this as something to be treated rather than tolerated. Its 2025 guidance recommends considering <\/span>cognitive behavioural interventions<\/b> for people whose concerns about falling are not helped by strength and balance exercises (<\/span>NICE NG249<\/span><\/a>). Ask the GP about it by name if six weeks of exercise has not shifted it.<\/span><\/p>


<\/span><\/p>\n

What actually speeds recovery up?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Four things, in roughly this order.<\/span><\/p>\n