As winter approaches, many people will face injury from not being properly prepared for the cold. Tips include: walk taking small steps, with your hands out of your pockets, to avoid injuries from falls. Wear slip-resistant boots. Keep all parts of your body covered, not just your head. And pay attention and respond to shivering, and to tingling pain on your skin: the first is an early warning sign of hypothermia, the second a precursor to frostbite.
Key Takeaways:
- When walking on snow and ice, keep an eye out for black ice and ice hidden under patches of snow and be ready for a fall.
- When that cold part goes numb, you’ve got frostbite, and that’s a medical emergency.
- If you’re still in the cold environment, these are four signs that you’ve crossed into moderate or severe hypothermia you’re experiencing clumsiness or confusion you feel drowsy your shivering gets worse, or even stops altogether
“The number one winter injury in the ER is falling on the ice.”