London Weather forecasts show lows of -6 degrees over the next week with possibility of some snow. This will certainly result in icy roads, treacherous pavements and many injuries coming in to the clinic. Read our top 10 icy weather physio tips.
Take care in the icy conditions
- Avoid leather soled or high heeled shoes outdoors.
- Choose shoes that are rubber soled with chunky tread that will cut into and grip slippery surfaces better.
- A walking stick or Nordic walking pole gives extra stability.
- Watch where you are going! Sounds obvious, keep a look out for icy patches.
- Colder muscles are tighter, less elastic muscles so keep the muscles warm.
- Neck pain? Wear a warm scarf around the neck to stop the muscles going into spasm from the cold.
- Arthritic fingers? Wear warm gloves- this makes a big difference by maintaining temperature and hence pliability of the connective tissues when the temperature drops.
- For back pain- wear an extra layer of clothing close to the body to keep the chill of the back muscles.
- Arthritic knee? A neoprene sleeve is very effective at maintaining warmth to the knee- this is the same material wet-suits are made of.
- If you do slip and take a tumble if you have any doubts- check it out. Each year we have patients who leave injuries from falls on the ice for far too long without having them assessed. In 2010 I saw a 22year old who slipped and injured his shoulder. He waited for 6 weeks before attending to it thinking it would get better- I sent him immediately for a scan which showed he had fractured his shoulder!
If you have fallen or injured yourself BOOST PHYSIO in Hendon will examine and assess you thoroughly and help you recover more quickly.
People who've slipped on the ice and those with winter sports injuries