First Aid and Emergencies · Lesson 2 of 11 · 10 min

The recovery position

If someone is unresponsive but breathing, lying on their back can let their tongue or vomit block their airway. The recovery position keeps the airway open and lets fluid drain out of the mouth.

When to use it

St John Ambulance: use the recovery position when someone is not responding to you but is breathing normally.
Always do the primary survey (DR ABC, lesson fa-01) first, so you know they are breathing.
If they are not breathing normally, do not use the recovery position: start CPR instead (lesson fa-03).
It keeps the airway open and allows any vomit to drain away rather than being breathed in.
It is also used after a seizure once the jerking has stopped, as Epilepsy Action advises (lesson fa-10).

Step by step

Kneel beside the person and straighten their legs. Remove glasses and bulky items from their pockets, but do not search their pockets for small items.
Place the arm nearest you out at a right angle to their body, elbow bent, palm facing up.
Bring their other arm across their chest and rest the back of that hand against the cheek nearest you. Hold it there.
With your free hand, pull up their far knee so that foot is flat on the floor.
Keeping their hand pressed against their cheek, pull on the far leg to roll them towards you onto their side.
Bend the top leg so hip and knee are at right angles; this stops them rolling forwards or onto their back.
Gently tilt the head back and lift the chin to keep the airway open, adjusting the hand under the cheek if needed.

While you wait for help

Call 998 if nobody has called yet.
Keep checking their breathing and level of response until the ambulance arrives.
If breathing stops or stops being normal, roll them onto their back, call 998 again if needed and start CPR.
St John Ambulance: if they are in the recovery position for 30 minutes, roll them onto the other side.
Stay with them and keep them warm with a coat or blanket; do not leave them alone.

If you suspect a spine or neck injury

Suspect a spinal injury after falls from height, diving accidents, road collisions or a heavy blow to the head or back.
St John Ambulance: if you suspect a spinal injury and the person cannot keep their airway open, use the spinal recovery position.
On your own: use the normal technique, but keep the head and spine in a straight line as much as you can while keeping the airway open.
With one helper: one person steadies the head and neck in line with the spine while the other rolls the person.
A log roll with four or more people should only be done by someone trained in it on a first aid course.

Similar situations, different positions

Fainting: the NHS says if a person who has fainted is breathing normally, lay them on their back and raise their legs; most people wake within about 30 seconds (lesson fa-10).
The NHS adds that a pregnant person who has fainted, especially after 28 weeks, is better laid on their side.
Anaphylaxis: lay the person down with legs raised, or sit them up if they are struggling to breathe (lesson fa-09).
If someone wakes and is responding normally, they do not need to stay in the recovery position, but keep watching them.

Practise in real life

Tick each one off when you have done it.

With a willing friend or family member on a carpeted floor, practise the full recovery position three times, then swap roles.
Practise rolling someone onto their other side (the 30 minute rule) without letting the head drop.
Explain to someone else, in your own words, when you would use the recovery position and when you would start CPR instead.

Remember

Recovery position: unresponsive but breathing normally.
Not breathing normally means CPR, not the recovery position.
Hand under cheek, top leg bent at right angles, head tilted back.
Keep monitoring breathing; turn to the other side after 30 minutes.
With a suspected spinal injury, keep head and spine in line.

Note: This lesson is general information, not a substitute for a certified first aid course with hands-on practice. In the UAE, the Emirates Red Crescent runs first aid training (for example with universities), and in 2022 Abu Dhabi Police's Directorate of Emergency and Public Safety offered CPR, basic life support and AED courses through the TAMM portal for people over 16; check current dates and fees directly, or look for an accredited provider near you. Most step-by-step guidance here comes from UK bodies (St John Ambulance, NHS, British Red Cross), which say 'call 999 or 112'. In the UAE, 999 is police: for a medical emergency call 998 (ambulance), as listed on the UAE Government Portal. Steps follow St John Ambulance. Epilepsy Action describes the same position with slightly different wording. Practise only with a willing partner and never practise rescue techniques roughly.

Check yourself

1. When should you place someone in the recovery position?

2. Where does the back of the person's far hand go?

3. According to St John Ambulance, what should you do if someone has been in the recovery position for 30 minutes?

4. You suspect a neck injury and have one helper. What should the helper do?

5. Someone who fainted is breathing normally. What position does the NHS recommend?