There are three types of slip-and-fall injuries that commonly occur in winter conditions. The first is when your feet go out from under you, and you hit the ground bottom-first. This can cause low back injury, mid-back injury, and is particularly damaging when it occurs on stairs, due to the multiple angles of impact on your body. Problems resulting from this type of fall can include pelvic sprains or disc injuries, both of which can be treated with chiropractic.
The second type of slip-and fall injury occurs when you fall, but catching yourself on one of your outstretched arms, either behind you or in front of you, and landing with all your weight on that arm. Often this type of fall results in shoulder injuries (which are the number three reason that patients seek chiropractic care). Chiropractic can treat these shoulder problems as well. Even when an injury results in pain that feels like it necessitates surgery, chiropractic care can often alleviate this pain and discomfort.
The third type of “fall” is where you slip but don’t actually fall. You whip your body this way or that, trying to keep your feet , and somehow remain in an upright position without ever hitting the ground. Though you might silently congratulate yourself on your quick reflexes and think, “Well, at least I didn’t fall,” you might later experience whiplash-like symptoms, headaches or back pain because of the quick, unnatural movement you used to avoid going down. Remember, you don’t have to hit the ground in order to hurt yourself!
Fortunately, chiropractic can help with these non-fall injuries as well.
Children are at greater risk for falls and injuries, as their nature lends to running and playing in the snow, oblivious to the dangers of hidden ice and slippery terrain. Particularly problematic about this is that even when a child is injured in a way that needs chiropractic attention, he or she might lack the language to convey that they are hurt. Young children can’t always communicate or articulate their discomfort, so parents might mistakenly assume that if when the kids stop crying, that means they’re okay.Kids’ little bodies are so limber and resilient that sometimes they don’t even notice that something is wrong or out of alignment. If this happens and the problem isn’t addressed and corrected, there’s a risk that the spine and muscles will heal incorrectly and inhibit range of motion from that point forward. Therefore, it’s important to make sure children receive chiropractic attention after a slip or fall to ensure healthy spinal alignment and formation.
We hope that these tips will help you avoid injury this winter, but if a slip or fall happens, our team at Preferred Chiropractic of Midland has the experience, skills and tools to help address and correct problems, alleviate discomfort, and restore your spinal health and overall well-being.
