New Jersey doctor explains common injuries from icy falls, shoveling and how to stay safe
Hospitals in the Philadelphia area had a pretty quiet weekend, but now staff say they're seeing a growing number of injuries, including many from falls on ice.
Susan Petrucelli was in the emergency department at Virtua Voorhees after falling on ice outside her home in South Jersey.
"It all looked like snow, but it was all ice, it was all frozen over," the 61-year-old said. "I guess I just slipped and I went down and I hit my face on the side of my car."
Fortunately, imaging showed no broken bones, but she has plenty of bruises.
"You could see the crack in the ice where my head hit," Petrucelli said.
Dr. Alan Shubert with Virtual Health said injuries like this are common during winter weather.
"Most of the time it's wrists and ankles, people falling, and putting their hands out to catch themselves," Shubert said. "Hip injuries and broken hips, the third most common thing we see."
Shubert said people should be extra careful with the icy conditions expected to last for a while.
"Try to have good footwear on, and avoid if you can, I think, the really icy areas and try to stick to the snow areas, that may be less slippery and give you more traction," Shubert said.
Shoveling is also causing issues, he said.
Three people in Lehigh County died shoveling during the storm, the coroner said.
"We get anything as simple as kind of back strains from the shoveling to, unfortunately, as serious as people having heart attacks," Shubert said.
The doctor said people who aren't in good shape should not shovel snow, and even those who are in shape often suffer from achy backs, shoulders and legs.
"We recommend resting, using heat, using some ibuprofen or Tylenol," Shubert said.
Finally, Shubert said people should be careful with snow blowers, as hand injuries often happen when people try to clear them without turning them off.