Winter brings storms, cold weather, and chilling temperature that can be fun or scary or both. Winter carries special dangers, so staying safe and sound are the best ways to survive in this season. Here are a few first aid tips for injuries that can occur as a result of those typical winter dangers and ways to protect yourself and your family.
• Frostbite: It’s a condition in which body tissues of toes, fingers, ears and nose get freeze. So, avoid extremely cold weather by staying warm and drinking warm liquids. Never rub the frostbitten area as this can cause further injury in the affected body part.
• Hypothermia: This occurs when the body temperature drops below 35 degree Celsius. If you suspect hypothermia, replace wet clothes immediately with dry and re-warm the patient up slowly. Give him/her warm drinks and high energy foods.
• Sprain/strain/fractures: These injuries are particularly common at this time of year when people are slipping and falling on ice. For sprains or strains, follow the RICE technique: Rest the affected part, apply an Ice pack, give Comfortable support using padding and Elevate the affected area. In case, you’re unsure whether it is a sprain, strain or fracture, it’s better to treat the injury as fracture. Don’t move the injured part, support it using padding and take the patient to hospital immediately.
There are a number of injuries that you and your family members may suffer as a result of cold weather. By learning first aid tips for winter survival, you can not only avoid such injuries but also take necessary action at the time of emergency.
