Dr. David Wharton
Dr. David Wharton, Erlanger emergency room and trauma physician, says the Erlanger Adult ER is continuing to see more patients due to falls on ice, particularly as the week has progressed.
“We’ve had a lot of patients in the ER the past couple of days because everyone is trying to get back into their daily schedule,” explained Dr. Wharton. “Many are heading back to work and wearing their work clothes and shoes. The problem is they are wearing improper shoes for outside conditions.”
Dr. Wharton recommends that no one leave the house without wearing lug or rubber soled shoes or boots – or purchase a device to wear over the soles with prongs/spikes that can grip to snow and ice. “Change your shoes when you get to work,” he urged.
“We are seeing many more injuries from adults falling, but it is the elderly population who has the most severe injuries due to brittle bones. Most of the injuries we are seeing from falls this week are primarily ankles and wrists.”
A few key points regarding fall injuries from Dr. Wharton are:
Try not to break your fall with your arms. Instead, begin to roll to avoid fracturing or breaking your wrist or arms.
Keep a low center of gravity, with your knees bent, so there is less distance between you and the ground.
If you are having more pain on the outside of an ankle, it is more likely to be a sprain. If the pain is on the inside of the ankle, there is a higher probability it is broken. If you cannot put weight on it at all, it is also more likely to be broken.
It is not typically necessary to call for an ambulance unless bone is extruding from the skin.
If it is a sprain or a broken limb or joint, one can self-treat at home by preparing a splint with magazines and tape, and be careful not to put any weight on the injured area until you have had medical attention.
The most common locations for injury during icy conditions are from the door to the car, and from the car to work because doorsteps, driveways, sidewalks and smaller parking lots are not treated with salt or deicer.
Dr. Wharton recommends keeping blankets, a cell phone, flash light and water in one’s car in the event you find yourself in trouble on the road.
The ER at Children’s Hospital has seen 14 children due to weather related injuries for midnight until 3 p.m. on Thursday. Among those injuries were fractures, leg injuries, lip lacerations and a head injury.
Erlanger Baroness ER has seen a total of eight patients as of 4 p.m. and they do expect to see more the rest of the night. Most of the injuries (five patients) were related to slippery ice falls with orthopedic fractures.