Step on a crack and you’ll fall and break your back: We all know the old nursery rhyme, but in our estimation, it’s when the ground is completely smooth that you have to be more careful. At least if there’s a crack, you know that you have something your feet can find purchase on; when ice is covering the pathway, the chances of you falling and quite literally breaking your back go up.
That’s what makes this time of the year so hazardous for those hoping to avoid a serious orthopedic injury. If you live in a cold environment, there may come a time when you have to go outside in order to get around, and in doing, you’re opening yourself up to potential dangers. These dangers can increase when you get older, as you won’t be able to spring back up on your feet the way you could when you were a kid.
You’ll therefore want to take some precautions in order to protect your body from strains, sprains, and breaks. A new report acts as a guide to some of the ways that you can minimize your chances of falling and sustaining a serious injury, and you should keep them in mind the next time you head out in the cold and there isn’t a crack in sight.
First, know those situations that often prove to be the most dangerous. Exiting buildings or vehicles tends to make one more susceptible to a fall, as the individual is going from a solid path to a slick one, often without realizing the change in the terrain.
Make sure to peer outside whenever you make this transition, keeping your hands positioned on the doorframe to steady yourself. This becomes especially pertinent if you’re navigating a stairway, where a fall can be even more disastrous. Steady yourself with the guardrail, and if ice has accumulated, seek an alternate route if one is possible.
On these types of surfaces, you are also going to want to protect your arms. Our natural reaction during a fall is to reach out and try to right ourselves, but this puts all the pressure on the bones in our arms, and the chances of a break increases.
The report linked to above recommends a literally handy trick that could have you protecting your dominant hand. If you’re right-handed, for instance, think about keeping something like a purse in that hand so that you’re prevented from shooting that hand out to right yourself. In doing, you let more of the impact of the fall spread across your body, diminishing the force on any one section of your body.
Finally, don’t delay if you do suffer an injury. Get an appointment with a doctor so that you can begin the recovery process.