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HOW TO PUT SOMEONE INTO THE RECOVERY POSITION

How to put someone into the recovery position

Most of us have practiced putting an unconscious person into the recovery position. But it's easy to ' Related Topics
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If somebody is unconscious but still breathing normally on their own
own, they should be put and treatment options
into the recovery position. That stops blood and vomit from entering the mouth, reaching the
airways and stopping the person from breathing. ! Epilepsy in adults:
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You can tell if somebody is unconscious but still breathing normally by approaching the person and
speaking to them loudly and clearly. You might say something like: “Hello! Can you hear me?” If they
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don’t react, gently shake their shoulder as if you were trying to wake them up. If they still don’t Everyday life
react then, they are unconscious. Then quickly check their breathing. Hold your ear over the
unconscious person’s mouth and nose and watch their chest: If you can hear regular breathing
sounds, can feel their breath and see their chest moving up and down, they are breathing normally.
If they aren't, they need immediate resuscitation! That is also true if their breathing appears to be
abnormal: irregular, very deep, slow, or with a snoring sound.

How do you put someone into the recovery position?

We will explain the process in more detail here so that you can picture each step clearly. You will
find a brief summary of everything at the end.

Step 1: Kneel down and put the hand nearest to you into position
Lay the unconscious person down on their back with their legs stretched out.
Kneel down beside their upper body. Tip: Right-handed people should kneel at the person’s right
side (with their feet then pointing to the right); and vice versa for left-handed people.
Put the arm that is right in front of you into a bent position. It should lie on the ground next to
the person roughly at right angles in the shoulder and elbow. The palm of the hand should be
facing upwards.

How to position the arm closest to you

Step 2: Position and hold the hand furthest away from you
Now place the other arm across their chest.
Place the hand close to the person’s face so that the hand rests against the cheek closest to you.
You will have to hold their hand in place. If you are right-handed and are kneeling at the person’s
right side (see image), use your left hand to do this to keep your right hand free for the next
steps.

How to position the arm furthest away from you

Step 3: Get everything ready and then roll

Take hold of the thigh that is furthest away from you with your right hand and pull it upwards so
that their leg is propped up at an angle. It can help to hold on to their clothing.
Hold of the person’s thigh so that you can now easily roll them over towards you.

The person should be lying like this before you roll them towards you

Step 4: Stable position and airways clear

After rolling them over, the person will automatically be lying on their side. The leg furthest away
from you is now on top. By having propped it up earlier, it is now drawn in at the waist and the
thigh is pointing roughly at a right angle away from the trunk. The person's lower legs are lying
on the ground parallel to each other. You can now correct the position of the legs if they slipped
when you rolled the person over.
Now tilt the person’s head back.
Carefully push their chin down a little to leave their mouth slightly open and the airways clear.
After being rolled over, the hand of the arm that is now on top is resting below the unconscious
person’s head and keeping it stabilized. If it isn't, carefully slide that hand into the correct
position under their head. Make sure that the person's airways are clear.

The person is in the recovery position

All the steps at a glance

For emergencies, here is a summary of all of the steps in one image. You can print it out or save it on
your mobile phone.

All 4 steps at a glance

Recovery position – in brief

Original format: PDF, one A4 page

Download file

254 kB %

What to do next after putting the person in the recovery position

Call the emergency services (112 in Germany and many other countries; 911 in the U.S.) unless
someone else has in the meantime. Cover the unconscious person so they don't get too cold, using a
thermal blanket for instance. Stay with them until the emergency services arrive and make sure that
they are still breathing normally the whole time. If it takes longer than half an hour for the
emergency services to arrive, roll the unconscious person over onto the other side.

If they stop breathing normally, immediately roll the unconscious person onto their back again and
start resuscitation.

Sources "

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How to put someone into the recovery position &

Created on November 21, 2022 Publisher:

Next planned update: 2025 Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health
Care (IQWiG, Germany)

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