A thank you to the New York Times for this story.
Emergency Department physicians have seen it all. Broken bones, wounds, and accidents of nearly every type are all daily occurrences for them. Some things they see over and over are easily preventable and avoiding them may keep you out of their departments.
HASTY CUTTING. We have all been there. We are in the kitchen and we want to cut a bagel or an avocado and we are in a hurry. We take a knife, maybe not the sharpest one in the drawer, and get to work. If we are not careful, we can give ourselves a pretty good (or bad) cut that may need stitches or worse. Caution: Dull knives can easily cut you even if they can’t cut anything else. Keep your knives sharpened and you won’t be tempted to use extra force. Always cut away from you. Use a non-slip surface to cut on and take your time.
TRAMPOLINES. According to the Times story, some ER doctors call trampolines “broken bone factories.” They also produce head injuries, dislocations and spinal injuries. Over 800,000 trampoline injuries were reported between 2009 and 2018. Most trampoline accidents occur when two people are jumping so, if you must jump on a trampoline, jump alone. Also make sure there is adequate padding about springs and bars and don’t do somersaults or flips.
STRANGE DOGS. When you encounter a strange dog or even a neighbor’s dog, you never know where it has been and what might upset it to the point that it bites. Admire strange dogs from a distance. In my law practice, I have had cases in which a dog well-known to my client decided this was the time to bite her in the face. There is almost no dog bite to the face that is not disfiguring and a real problem. Keep your face away from dogs, even ones you know and interact with regularly. Emergency Department doctors say that, if you ever saw the result of a dog mauling, you would find this advice a lot easier to follow.
DON’T RIDE WITHOUT A HELMET. Doctors say that the differences in injuries between helmeted and non-helmeted riders is like night and day. Study after study has shown that the use of a bike helmet significantly reduces the risk of a head injury and greatly increases the chances that you will walk away from a bike accident.
THE CROC EFFECT. This is not as much of a problem for my Phoenix readers but Crocs and icy conditions do not go well together. Crocs provide no grip or traction. They also provide no support for the ankle. On icy conditions, the Crocs go one way and the wearer goes another. That icy pavement or ground is hard.
DON’T IGNORE SUDDEN SYMPTOMS. Our bodies are pretty good about giving us cues when things are not right. Pretty much any time there is a sudden change in our condition, it should mandate a trip to see the doctor at Urgent Care or at the Emergency Department. This is especially true if the new symptom is chest pain or paralysis of a body part. Maybe it is nothing but it is almost always going to be at least something and getting it treated early may be the difference between a good outcome and a bad one.
Most of the above tips are just plain common sense. The fact that Emergency Department doctors see these problems over and over and feel the need to caution against them just shows how often we human beings disregard our common sense. You don’t have to be stupid to end up in the emergency department, but being stupid certainly increases the chances you will.
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