How to put someone in the recovery position

There is a very important position you will learn in first aid training that can be vital to saving someone’s life.

It’s called the recovery position because it can be the best position to put the person into when they are recovering from an accident, incident or trauma.

Note: before putting someone into the recovery position, always perform a quick check on the environment around you and the injured person to make sure there is nothing dangerous in the immediate vicinity around such as – live electric wires, chemical spills, fuel spills, deep or fast-flowing water, hazardous gases or toxic fumes. (For more information see our article called – The DRSABC of First Aid.)

Deciding to put someone in the recovery position assumes you can correctly evaluate whether they are unconscious or not and whether they are breathing or not.

When to put someone in the recovery position

You put someone in the recovery position when they are unconscious but still breathing.

Someone is considered unconscious if:

• they are unable to be woken or stirred

• they do not respond to you saying things like “squeeze my hand” or “open your eyes”

• they don’t react to you squeezing their shoulders

• they are groaning but don’t open their eyes.

Do not use the recovery position when the person is unconscious and not breathing. In this case you must roll them on their back and start applying immediate CPR.

In both cases you should immediately call for an ambulance as your first priority.

The recovery position is often used in cases of:

• Drug or alcohol overdose

• Heart attack or cardiac arrest

• Suspected drowning

• Fall or accident where the person has been knocked out cold

• Car, bike or motorcycle accident

Why do you put someone in the recovery position?

The No. 1 reason why you put someone in the recovery position is to prevent them choking or swallowing something.

Many things can happen to someone who is unconscious but not breathing and is left laying on their back, or even their front. It is dangerous for the person because an unconscious person can choke if left laying on their back.

The recovery position presents the best chance of the person not suffering another potentially fatal incident after they have been attended to.

You put the person in the recovery position because:

• The person could vomit and then choke on their own vomit.

• They could bring up fluid from their lungs and then have it go back into their lungs

• They may have something stuck in their throat or in the side of their mouth that you don’t know about which they later choke on

• They could swallow their own tongue

Choking risks are very high among people who have had an accident, severe illness, heart attack, stroke etc

9 steps to putting someone in the recovery position

These 9 steps assume the person is laying on their back. If they are not, you must gently roll them onto their back before starting the recovery position.*

Make sure not to severely twist their neck or back when you roll them over, even if you don’t suspect a spinal injury.

1.    Kneel beside the person. (Either side is OK).

2.    Remove the person’s glasses if they are wearing them and anything large or bulky in their pockets

3.    Straighten the person’s legs and arms

4.    Fold the arm closest to you over their chest so their hand is up towards their opposite shoulder

5.    Place their other arm so that it stretches out straight at right angles to their body with the palm facing upwards

6.    Slide their foot that is closest to you up towards their hips so their leg bends into a triangle with knee at top

7.    With your right hand under the person’s head, supporting their neck, use your left hand to gently push their bent leg so the person rolls away from you onto their side. Ensure the person cannot roll back by keeping their bent leg at right angles

8.    Tilt their head back to ensure their airway are clear and open

9.    Tuck their hand that is closest to their shoulder up under the cheek they are laying on

*If you suspect a person may have a spinal or neck injury, do NOT move them into the recovery position as this could make their injury worse. In this case, to keep their airway open, place your hands on either side of their face to keep their head and neck still, but lift their jaw slightly with your fingertips.

What to do while waiting for ambulance

Once you have placed someone in the recovery position, you must keep monitoring them until the ambulance or other medical help arrives.

Watch them carefully. People can move about even when unconscious. Check their hand stays under their cheek/neck to keep their head in the right position. Watch their hips to make sure they don’t start rolling over onto their back again. (Highly unlikely but possible).

Most importantly keep a close eye on their breathing and their airways. If you hear any gurgling sounds or similar check their throat is still clear.

And if they stop breathing, immediately start applying CPR and/or use an AED if one is handy.

If they do happen to vomit while laying in the recovery position, clear it up quickly and check their mouth and throat to see if any remains in there.

First Aid Training helps you help others to recover

This article is a quick guide to the recovery position. But there is no substitute for First Aid training.

If you are trained in First Aid, you will know exactly what to do and this confidence is what will keep you calm in an emergency. You will learn how to put someone in the recovery position and know exactly how to do it properly on your course.

We have public First Aid training classes available on several days through the week so you are bound to find one on a day that suits you. We also offer blended training where you do most of the training online from home or work, at a time that suits you.

Find out more at https://www.resultsfirstaid.com/courses