Understanding Seizure Types
Atonic Seizures
A sudden reduction in muscle tone may cause a head drop, a dropped object or a fall.
About this information
ESCO reviews this information regularly. It supports learning and does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Discuss your own care with your healthcare provider.
What might happen?
The head or shoulders may slump, the knees may buckle, or the person may collapse. Events are often brief, but falls can cause significant injury.
Understanding “drop attacks”
This phrase describes a fall rather than its cause. Other seizures and conditions, including fainting, may also cause falls. Assessment is needed.
Check for injury and plan ahead.
Remove nearby hazards and let the person recover before helping them upright. Follow their seizure action plan.
Discuss repeated falls with the healthcare team. Environmental changes or selected protective equipment may help; a helmet cannot prevent every injury.
Call 911 for a serious injury, breathing problems, a seizure in water, a first known seizure or repeated seizures without recovery.