Recently, snowfall has occurred in many places in the north, and the snow-covered streets make people feel the dreamy snow scene in winter. However, a sudden drop in temperature and slippery roads after snow can easily lead to sudden "disasters". On December 11, Beijing ushered in the first snowfall of the winter of 2023, and Aunt Cui, a citizen in her 60s, is a sports enthusiast who goes downstairs every morning to move, and this first snow in Beijing has not stopped Aunt Cui from exercising. "I didn't expect to get home soon, and I slipped and fell under my feet. At the moment of the fall, Aunt Cui subconsciously "supported the ground" with her right hand, resulting in a fracture of the distal radius and was sent to a community hospital by her family for filming, and then went to Jishuitan Hospital for emergency treatment. There are many patients in a similar situation to Aunt Cui, the three most prone to fractures after a fall are the wrist, hip and ankle joints, among which, "The first reaction of most people after slipping is that the force of the fall is transmitted through the wrist to the forearm, resulting in a distal radius fracture." Wang Tao, attending physician of the Department of Trauma and Orthopedics of Beijing Jishuitan Hospital Xinjiekou Branch, introduced.
It is easy to fall at any age in snow, but most of them are elderly, and the parts of the fall are also regular, the first is the wrist, the second is the ankle, the third is the elbow and shoulder, in addition, the lumbar vertebrae fracture is also an injury that the elderly are easy to cause after sitting on the ground. Members of the public are advised to minimise travel after the snow, especially when the snow has been cleared and thin ice remains on the ground. But if you have to go out, what precautions can be taken to prevent injury, and if you feel "wrong" after falling, what is the emergency treatment?
Question1:雪后出行,防摔注意事项
1. Look
Always be vigilant and observe the road conditions.
On snowy days, there are many places outdoors that are slippery and slippery, so you should always be vigilant in such an environment. In particular, many roads are not covered with snow, but there is a thin layer of ice. This condition is the most overlooked and the most likely to cause slips.
2. Wear
Keep warm but don't interfere with your movement to avoid safety hazards.
When traveling in snowy weather, wear gloves and warm clothes, pants should not be too long to avoid falling when stepping on the trouser legs, socks should fit well, do not wear stockings with slippery feet, shoelaces should be fastened tightly and the laces should not be too long to avoid falling by stepping on the laces, and choose suitable non-slip shoes. Special reminder: Some shoes called "snow boots" are not suitable for wearing in snow, the main reason is that it is neither waterproof nor non-slip, and it is not only easy to get wet when it snows or melts, but may also be easier to slip. Hiking boots have deep grooves, but the soles are usually stiff, and if the seams are filled with snow, they will be more slippery and not suitable for wearing on snowy days.
3. Stability
Slow down and find your balance.
Slow down your walking
When traveling on snowy days, it's a good idea to allow more time. Every step must be stepped on, one step at a time, and the "down-to-earth" walk will not slip, especially when encountering uneven roads, and the pace must be slowed down.
Non-slip gait: When learning to walk with a large stride, the legs are also raised, and the center of gravity of the body changes greatly, making it easier to fall. When walking on narrow roads, the distance between your feet should not be too small, and you should keep a distance of about 20 cm. When walking on snow, shift your weight forward, try to keep the soles of your feet touching the ground as much as possible, and keep your calves perpendicular to the ground.
Avoid walking in the dark
On snowy days, the lack of light increases the likelihood of slipping. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the travel environment is as well lit as possible, try to avoid traveling in the dark, and carry a flashlight if necessary.
Older people avoid going out
Older people should try to avoid traveling after the snow and try to be accompanied by family members if they need to go out. For example, when you go out to use crutches and other walking aids, do not rely too much on them, and lean your whole body weight on them, otherwise you will be more likely to be injured if you slip.
Keep your hands free
Don't play with your phone, don't put your hands in your pockets, don't lift heavy objects, and avoid distractions that can lead to a narrowing of your field of vision, which can cause your body to lose your balance and make it difficult to react quickly.
Question2:雪后哪些地方最易滑倒?
01 Zebra crossing
Some zebra crossings are lacquered to warn passers-by of the light at night, but they will be slippery after snow, while some zebra crossings are not slippery but are easy to slip as the reflective surface is worn out with use. In addition, after the snow accumulates on the zebra crossing, the snow becomes more slippery due to the frequent passage of people and cars. Nowadays, many cities have started to use non-slip zebra crossings, which are safer.
02 Vehicles frequently enter and exit areas
For example, parking lots and gas station entrances and exits are very slippery due to the frequent traffic of cars, and the snow will be very compact, and the tires will rub against it. In addition, there are often slopes in these places. In the same way, bus stops are also easy places to fall, especially when getting on and off the bus, the center of gravity is easy to be unstable, so be careful.
03 Subway or underpass exit
These places have a large flow of people, pedestrians are intertwined and fast, and the road surface is prone to waterlogging, mud, and ice, especially with steps or slopes, which is very dangerous.
04 tile floors
After stepping on the snow to enter the subway, shopping mall, office building, etc., the snow embedded in the soles of your shoes will be very slippery when it touches the tiles, so it is best to stomp your feet at the door to remove some of the snow from the soles of your shoes before walking.
Question3:摔倒后如何正确应对?
Slippery roads in snowy days are prone to falls and fractures, so once you fall, you should pay special attention to the following three points.
1. First of all, we must keep calm, especially the elderly, once emotional, it is easy to cause various problems, especially cardiovascular and cerebrovascular problems. 2. The second is not to get up in a hurry. If a fracture has already occurred, forcing yourself to stand up can cause more damage. Call 120 immediately and wait for medical attention. 3. If there is no abnormal feeling at the time after falling, but then you feel unwell, you should go to the hospital for examination in time, so that the problem can be detected early, treated early, and treated early.
"Injury immobilization" after a fracture
The elderly have poor body coordination and osteoporosis problems, and once they fall, they will subconsciously reach out to the ground, resulting in a broken wrist. In addition, there are knee fractures, hip bones, and lumbar vertebrae, which are all prone to fractures. "Injury immobilization" is performed immediately after a fall and fracture, that is, movement is restricted to prevent the injury from dislocating. If you find that a part of your body is very painful, do not force it to support it to avoid secondary injury. Although the hand is a common cause of post-snow fractures, in the event of an unbalanced fall, "hand on the ground" is the "best" option. Zhao Xia, head nurse and nurse in charge of the geriatrics department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said that compared with landing on the buttocks or one side of the body, the injury caused by supporting the ground with hands and the difficulty of treatment for the elderly are much smaller. If you use your hands to support the ground during a fall, the wrist joint is often damaged, and at most the distal ulna or radius is fractured. This kind of arm fracture does not require bed rest in nursing, and rehabilitation training is easy to do, and fatal complications will not occur. The elderly sit on the ground when they fall, and the support point falls on the buttocks, which can easily lead to femoral neck fracture or lumbar compression fracture. After a fall, the patient usually falls to the ground and is unable to get up on his own. After the fracture, you need to stay in bed for 3 months, and the healing is very slow. If the vertebral body compresses more than 1/2, the condition is more serious and surgery is required. If possible, if you feel like you're about to fall, lower your body's center of gravity as much as possible to reduce the impact of a slip, but if you don't have time to react, it's relatively reasonable to hold your hands on the ground.
1 For example, for common carpal fractures, you can use your other hand to support the injured wrist, or use a hard object (such as a book, paper shell) to support your hand and forearm, hang it from your neck with a strap, or fix it to your chest with a bandage. 2. If there is a fracture of the hip bone or waist, do not carry or hold the injured person to move the position, and be sure to lie down and send it to the hospital. 3. If the situation is serious, and there is a bleeding wound after falling, or the bone is directly exposed to the open wound, first use a clean gauze or towel to temporarily bandage it, call 120 on the spot for help, do not move the injured person without authorization, pay attention to keep warm, and wait for the doctor to deal with it. Be careful not to try to push the bone back if it is a complete fracture and the bone has pierced out of the skin.
"Not too painful" can also be a fracture
Fracture is one of the serious consequences of falling, but in addition to the fracture with obvious deformation, it is not easy for people to tell whether they are fractured, so they should be sent to the hospital as soon as possible after injury, which is related to whether the injured person can recover smoothly.
In addition, there are many people who miss the opportunity because the pain in the injury is not obvious, which leads to neglecting the condition. Many people think that a fracture will be particularly painful, and if it is not too painful, it should be that there is no fracture, but in fact, there is no direct causal relationship between pain and fracture, but depends on the individual's tolerance for pain. Especially for the elderly, some elderly people have no obvious pain after fractures and bone cracks, and may not even affect normal activities, so they think they are okay and ignore the injury.
Apply a cold compress first, then apply a warm compress after the swelling is reduced
In general, if it is edema caused by trauma, there is no local skin damage, only soft tissue damage, in this case, a local cold compress within 24 hours can help constrict blood vessels, prevent further edema, and reduce pain symptoms. After 24 hours, the swelling of the wound will subside, and then apply a hot compress, which will help to promote blood circulation and blood stasis, and promote the absorption of edema. After a fall, many people will subconsciously rub the injury, thinking that this can reduce the pain and relieve the injury, in fact, massaging immediately after the fall is not only not conducive to the recovery of the injury, but may even aggravate the injury.
Source: Shandong CDC, Healthy China New Vision [Disclaimer: We are committed to public welfare publicity and have no commercial use. We respect originality and also value sharing. The copyright belongs to the original author, if the use of the information infringes on your interests, please contact us in time, we will delete within 24 hours. 】