Photo by Avinash Bhat on Flickr

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It’s snow season, which can bring both joy and pain.

If you have to shovel your driveway or walk across a slick sidewalk, take extra precautions this winter. After all, as of press time, local hospitals are inching toward overcapacity.

“Not having to be in the hospital is critical,” said Dr. Scott Faucett, orthopaedic surgeon at The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics, which has several locations in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia.

If you do injure yourself, he suggests, “Utilize urgent care or your primary care physician rather than go to the emergency room that could be full of COVID patients.”

In addition to seeing patients, Faucett is a team physician for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard team. Although most of us won’t be skiing or snowboarding this winter, injuries can happen close to home in bad weather.

Reduce risk of ice

“In this region, as we all know, [storms] are often a mix of sleet, rain and snow. That base layer is often very icy,” Faucett said.

That’s why pre-treating your driveway or walk is so important. Before the storm starts, buy a bag of sand or chloride-free pre-treatment pellets.

Try to avoid ice melts or “rock salt,” both of which contain toxic chloride. Most hardware stores sell eco-friendly pre-treatment products, some of which are made from natural ingredients such as volcanic rocks.

“Precondition the walk with salt or sand to avoid a slipping or falling injury,” he said.

During a snowstorm

Faucett offers the following tips this winter:

• Shovel often, before the snowstorm is over
• Wear shoes with good traction and gloves with rubber grips
• Use your legs, not your back, when you shovel
• Consider hiring someone to shovel your walk
• Use a snowblower for larger jobs

If you do injure your back, it may not be necessary to rush to the doctor.

“Most injuries are self-limiting [self-recovering], meaning they don’t need prescription medication,” Faucett said. “It’s mostly just a soft-tissue strain. They can be managed with rest or an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory.”

Although many people like to hunker down indoors during snowstorms, Faucett said that if you have to shovel, it’s a good idea to go outside while it’s still snowing to get a jump start on shoveling.

“The biggest thing is, for bigger storms, go [shovel] more often rather than wait until it’s all over,” he said.