T H E
S A M A R I T A N
W I N T E R 2 0 1 3
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W H E N I S A
W I N T E R S P O R T S
I N J U R Y
A N E M E R G E N C Y ?
You or someone in your family slipped while
ice skating or fell while skiing, but your
doctor’s office is closed.
Is the injury serious enough to warrant
a trip to the hospital emergency depart-
ment? Or can it be treated at an urgent
care center?
The information that follows might help
answer those questions.
Get emergency help
Seek care at an emergency department for
any injury that causes uncontrolled bleed-
ing or severe pain. Other reasons to get
emergency care include:
A serious head injury.
Signs and
symptoms to look for include: Loss
of consciousness or coordination. A
headache that won’t go away after taking
over-the-counter medications. Confusion.
Slurred speech. Pupils of unequal size.
A neck or back injury.
An oddly
contorted head or body. Weakness in the
back, neck or limbs. An inability to move
the arms or legs. These all may be signs of
trauma to the neck or back. Don’t move the
person; that could cause further injury. Call
911 instead.
A broken bone.
Fractures of major
bones—like an arm or a leg—can result in
shock or loss of circulation.
Urgent care is fine
Treatment at an urgent care clinic is often
sufficient for injuries such as:
Minor cuts.
Minor fractures, such as a broken finger.
Minor head bumps.
Sprains and strains—such as in the
ankle, knee or shoulder.
Be safe rather than sorry
If you think you or someone else has a
medical emergency—or you’re just not
certain how serious the injury is—seek
emergency care.
Going to an urgent care clinic first could
prove a dangerous delay in getting the
necessary treatment.
Source: American College of Emergency Physicians
Winter sports injuries are common.
The experienced staff at Samaritan’s
emergency department is available to
help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Which also makes them perfect for
getting hurt.
Winter sports injuries send hundreds of
thousands of people in the U.S. to hospitals
and doctors’ o ces every year, according
to the American Academy of Orthopaedic
Surgeons (AAOS). Many, if not most, of
those injuries are avoidable.
e following advice for winter play
without pain comes from the AAOS and
the American College of Emergency Phy-
sicians (ACEP), as well as other experts
in sports medicine and safety. Some tips
are general enough to apply to almost any
seasonal sport. Others are more speci c to
one or two activities.
It’s always a good idea to talk to your
doctor before the start of a new sports
season—especially if you’re older than
, have any health concerns or have been
inactive for awhile.
STAY SAFE IN ANY SPORT
Warm up be-
fore you set out. Cold muscles, tendons
and ligaments are ripe for injury.
Wear the right stuff.
That means
protecting yourself with the appropriate
safety gear, such as goggles, helmets and
padding. It also means dressing in layers
to keep your body warm and dry as you
sweat in the cold.
Check your equipment beforehand.
is is especially important if the equip-
ment has been in storage all summer.
Get trained.
If you’re new to a sport,
consider taking lessons from a quali ed
instructor, particularly for sports like ski-
ing and snowboarding. Learn and follow
the rules of the sport too.
Buddy up.
Don’t set out solo on your
snowboard or skis or go skating alone. Go
with a buddy or a group.
Also, take the time to meet beforehand
to talk about what to do in case of an
emergency. Does everyone know where
the nearest medical center is? Have you let
someone know where your group is head-
ing and when you plan to return? Take a
cellphone or radio transmitter with you in
case you need to call for emergency help.
Stay hydrated.
Drink water—before,
during and a er exercise.
Keep an eye on the weather forecast.
Be aware of any upcoming storms or sharp
drops in temperature.
SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING
Both
of these popular winter sports require
strength, endurance, balance and coordi-
nation. If you’re not physically t before
you hit the slopes, you might end up hurt-
ing yourself. e American Council on
Exercise recommends starting a training
program well in advance of opening day.
Other safety tips include:
Make sure the bindings on your skis or
board are adjusted correctly.
[
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Consider having your ski boots and
bindings tested by a shop that adheres to
American Society of Testing and Materi-
als standards.
Learn how to get on, ride and get o
a ski li .
Keep your eyes open and yield to oth-
ers before heading downhill or merging
onto a trail.
Don’t push yourself to keep going if
you’re tired. “One more run” is the pream-
ble to many accidents, reports the AAOS.
If you’re a snowboarder, resist the urge
to try fancy stunts and maneuvers without
proper instruction.
SLEDDING
e majority of those hurt
while sledding are kids and younger.
at’s probably because sledding is o en
a child’s pastime. Adults might enjoy it,
too, but their presence is most important
as a supervisor.
Here’s what the grown-ups should do:
Provide a safe sled.
It should have run-
ners and steering control. Sleds with those
features are safer than snow disks. Don’t let
your kids slide on plastic sheets or other
materials that can’t be steered or that can
be pierced by sharp objects on the ground.
Take kids to a hill designated for sled-
ding.
It’s not safe for kids to zip down a
slope peppered with trees, lined by fences
or that opens onto a street.
Check the hill first.
Clear it of any
rocks, sticks or other debris.
Teach safety.
Be sure your kids know
how to steer and stop their sled and how
to bail out safely in an emergency.
Tell them to always look out for others
and to never head downhill if someone is
in the path. Also, make it clear they should
never ride head rst—they should sit facing
forward, and steer with their feet or a rope
tied to the handles of the sled.
Never pull a sled with a motor vehicle.
No exceptions.
ICE SKATING
It’s hard to think of a
more wholesome family activity than ice
skating. And it is also one of the safest
winter sports. Still, accidents on the ice
do happen. e National Safety Council
o ers these tips for safe skating:
Wear skates that t comfortably and
give good support to your ankles.
Have your skates’ blades sharpened by
a professional at the start of every season.
Skate only on ice that is prepared for
skating and where you know the ice is
thick and strong enough to support your
weight.
Always check the surface for cracks,
holes or debris.
SNOWMOBILING
With big engines that
can hit speeds in excess of
miles per
hour, snowmobiles are powerful machines
that can cause powerful injury.
According to the American Orthopae-
dic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM),
the most common cause of death in
snowmobile accidents is blunt trauma
to the head—even for those wearing a
helmet.
Alcohol, high speeds and poor judg-
ment o en feed into the mix of injuries,
notes the AOSSM. Many states don’t put
limits on how fast snowmobilers can go,
and some don’t require that adults or chil-
dren wear helmets.
ACEP suggests the following to help
prevent injuries when riding a snowmobile:
First, know the vehicle you’re going to
drive. Read the manual thoroughly before
starting it up.
Conduct a safety check on the snow-
mobile before every trip. And be sure the
gas tank is full before you head out.
Wear a helmet with a chin strap, gog-
gles and protective clothing.
Know the terrain you’ll be traveling.
Are there fences? Gullies? Rocky areas or
open bodies of water?
Keep your eyes moving and alert to
danger. Your ears may not be able to hear
warning sounds over the roar of the snow-
mobile’s engine.
