Emma Miller
With the advent of winter and the onset of cold weather, an urgent and topical issue is how to walk on a slippery road, so as not to fall and get unpleasant injuries.
How to walk on the ice – important rules.
In winter, it is desirable to avoid places where there is ice. But if you find yourself on such a street, you need to be aware of how to walk on the ice, so as not to fall. Trauma surgeons give useful advice on how to walk correctly on ice and still be in one piece. A few important rules for walking on ice:
- Keep your legs slightly bent at all times, and do not strain your knees too much. Be sure to step on the whole sole, rather than rolling the foot from heel to toe. You can put a little pressure on the ice with the back of your foot with each step to keep better on the surface.
- Do not walk quickly and lift your feet high: the step should be as shallow as possible. You can even slip on the ice slowly where possible.
- Under no circumstances when walking on the ice do not keep your hands in your pockets, and spread them apart, thus keeping the balance of your body. At the same time, your hands should be free, without bags, sacks, and other things.
- The head and torso should be tilted forward slightly to shift the body weight away from your heels.
- Moving on the ice, it is forbidden to talk on the phone and wear headphones – you must be attentive and maintain full concentration at all times.
Remember that in no case on a slippery road, you can not fall on the buttocks, the palms of your outstretched hands, elbows, and knees. Such falls are fraught with complex fractures and severe injuries.
How to fall correctly – traumatologists’ tips
If you do slip on the ice, you need to quickly crouch down to fall from a lower height. During the fall, you need to properly group yourself: bend your knees, press your hands to your sides, and keep your chin as close to your chest as possible. It is best to try to fall on your side.
Most people fall forward, backward, and on their side. If you fall forward, it is not advisable to land on your elbows or straightened arms to avoid serious injury. When falling backward, i.e. onto your back (this is the most injury-prone version), you should direct your shoulders and elbows forward, arch your back, and press your chin to your chest in order not to hit the back of your head. Falling on your side, you should firmly press your hands to your body, squeeze into a ball, and pull your legs to your torso, straining your muscles at the same time.
What to do not to slip on the ice – tips
The key factor in solving the problem of how not to slip on ice, it is quite obvious is the shoes, or rather its preparedness for walking on ice. You should not wear shoes with heels and platforms – you need to choose flat-soled shoes, preferably soft with mixed tread. There are several ways to make shoes suitable for winter walks:
- A shoe shop can glue a special non-slip rubber pad onto the sole.
- Self-glue a plaster or tape to the sole, and then step your foot in the sand. This will help you for several hours of walking.
- Rub the old wiped-out sole with sandpaper or screw small screws into it.
- You can buy special lepidote, which are put on the shoes.
- As a last resort, you can pull thick cloth socks over the shoes.
All these rules and recommendations are important to follow in order to protect yourself from serious injuries, bruises, and fractures as a result of unfortunate falls.
Previously we wrote about how to insulate feet, advising a few best practices. We told in detail how to insulate shoes in winter, what is better to wear in cold weather, and how to keep warm if your feet are still frozen.
