{"id":100486,"date":"2015-02-19T14:05:45","date_gmt":"2015-02-19T19:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=100486"},"modified":"2015-02-26T10:46:39","modified_gmt":"2015-02-26T15:46:39","slug":"100486","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2015\/02\/100486\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoiding Winter’s Hazards"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you had enough of winter? UConn Today sought out experts at UConn Health for a roundup of common threats to our health and well-being this time of year. Their information won\u2019t make spring come any faster, but it may keep you safe.<\/em><\/p>\n

Recognize the signs of hypothermia<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPatients are always surprised at two things: how quickly hypothermia sets in, and the feeling of being slow<\/em>,” says Dr. Rebecca Andrews<\/a>, UConn Health primary care physician.
\n\u201cYour brain cannot function as well with hypothermia and you may feel confused, fatigued, sleepy and uncoordinated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Walking<\/a>
Walking across the wintry landscape (Sean Flynn\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She explains that time exposed is just as important as temperature, and even temperature in the 40s can be problematic depending on age, health, blood flow, and whether the body is wet or dry. She also advises planning for emergencies. \u201cLet friends and family know where you are going in case you have car trouble. Keep blankets and a candle and something to light it with in the car in case of breakdown. A lit candle can heat the inside of a car, but be sure to roll down a window just enough to allow the smoke to escape.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Frostbite can cause permanent tissue and nerve damage<\/strong><\/p>\n

Andrews says that toes, fingers, ears, nose, and other areas exposed to the cold with less fat to insulate them and less blood supply are especially at risk for frostbite.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially the cold can cause red, painful skin. This is the time to slowly rewarm your hands indoors. If left untreated, the area then becomes numb, pale, and can feel hardened when ice crystals form in your skin,\u201d Andrews says.<\/p>\n

And, she adds, frostbite can be misleading. \u201cBelieve it or not, the cold, painful, tingling sensation can be followed by your hands feeling warm. Please, do not be fooled into thinking your hands are warming up; this is a sign of serious damage. Sometimes we even see blisters as the skin is rewarmed. Any of these signs of frostbite \u2013 white, hard skin, blisters, and swelling after rewarming with persistent numbness or tingling \u2013 need to be addressed by a health care provider.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shovel a path on your walk and you could be shoveling a path to heart attack<\/strong><\/p>\n

Snow shoveling can be a high-stakes stress test, and those with coronary artery disease shouldn\u2019t do it, says Dr. Peter Schulman<\/a>, general cardiologist who has seen many patients at UConn Health\u2019s Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center who\u2019ve had a heart attack after shoveling.<\/p>\n

Schulman says, \u201cShoveling is the \u2018perfect storm\u2019 for a heart attack. It\u2019s cold, it\u2019s usually in the morning, which is when most heart attacks occur, being under pressure to get to work or school can cause increased anxiety, and it\u2019s strenuous activity that you may not be used to doing. If you do have to shovel, be sure to avoid dangerous cold, dress in layers, don\u2019t overdo it, and take frequent breaks.”<\/p>\n

He adds that now\u2019s not the time for heart patients to miss their meds. \u201cEspecially aspirin, beta blockers, and statin drugs, which lower cholesterol \u2013 these drugs can all be protective immediately after taking to lower your heart attack risk,\u201d Schulman says.<\/p>\n

The type of snow shovel you use really can make a difference<\/strong><\/p>\n

Use an ergonomically designed shovel that minimizes bending or a shovel with a lightweight plastic blade, says Dr. Joseph Walker<\/a>, physiatrist (pain management specialist) at the UConn Musculoskeletal Institute, who also recommends warming up thoroughly, pacing yourself, and taking frequent breaks. If the snow is deep, work your way to the surface a few inches at a time rather than digging from the bottom.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most common injury I have seen this winter season,” he says, \u201c has been muscle strain\/overuse injuries, in the old and the young. Typically these injuries are caused by repetitive motions used in shoveling and snow blowing and can lead to overuse muscle strain injuries. Overuse injuries occur from stress on the bone, muscle, tendon or ligament. Over time these stresses cause the tissue to become inflamed and weaken.\u201d<\/p>\n

Better yet, use a snow blower<\/strong><\/p>\n

Snow blowers are friendlier to the lower back and shoulders than are snow shovels, but these machines also introduce another danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would seem obvious not to put your hand in the snow blower,\u201d says Dr. Cory Edgar<\/a>, UConn Health orthopedic surgeon. \u201cAs the engine goes, there\u2019s potential energy within the gears, and when it gets stuck, whether it\u2019s a stick or heavy snow, in the heat of the moment or perhaps in a moment of confusion, people may reach in to unclog it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat people don\u2019t realize is, even when the engine is totally off, freeing the clog can also release the built-up energy in the engine. If you use your hand to do this, it can cause serious damage, including loss of fingers. It happens more than you might think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch your step<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The winter of ’15 is a memorable one (Sean\/Flynn\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What about the snow that\u2019s not removed and turns into ice? \u201cUConn Health\u2019s trauma patient admissions\u00a0 were up 47 percent in January due largely to injuries caused by people slipping and falling on the ice,\u201d says paramedic Peter Canning<\/a>, UConn Health\u2019s emergency medical services coordinator. He says it serves as a reminder to people to put ice melt on steps and driveways, wear appropriate shoes with good traction, and be sure to carry a cell phone when going outside to be able to call for help if they do fall.<\/p>\n

Unsafe generators can kill you<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGenerators should always be run outside the home, at least 20 feet from any windows or doors.\u201d says Amy Hanoian Fontana, community education specialist at the Connecticut Poison Control Center<\/a>. Less obviously, when snow piles up around the house it can block vents that are supposed to exhaust emissions from things like dryers, furnaces, fireplaces or wood stoves. If the CO can\u2019t get out, it will back up in your home. That\u2019s why you need at least one working smoke detector in the house.<\/p>\n

CO poisoning can be persistent and is not always easy to recognize she adds.
\n\u201cIt is very difficult to explain the dangers of CO when it is in fact so intangible,\u201d Hanoian Fontana says. \u201cSometimes an exposure to CO results in neurological problems like memory loss and trouble concentrating several weeks after the event. These effects can range from mild to severe. Most people, even first responders, think of CO only as a hazard to be handled right at the moment it happens. Truth is, CO can have lingering effects that can be concerning.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just CO this time of year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Connecticut Poison Control Center also has been known to get calls about poisonings related to siphoning of gasoline by mouth to fuel a snow blower, acid from corroded batteries, and chemical ice melt products splashing into eyes or ingested by children. The message is clear, no matter how frustrated you are by the weather, think before you act.<\/p>\n

\"Let<\/a>
Let snow … let it snow … let it snow (Sean Flynn\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

________________________________________
\nFollow UConn Health<\/a> on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Advice from the experts on successfully navigating the cold, snowy challenges of the winter of ’15<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":100473,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[179,1],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[57,2010],"class_list":["post-100486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uconn-health","category-uncategorized"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-30 15:08:52","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/111"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100486"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100523,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100486\/revisions\/100523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/100473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100486"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=100486"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=100486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}