School has been out for many this week and local hillsides have been covered with snow and ice – perfect for sledding, but a Carilion nurse urges sledders of all ages to think safety first. Tanya Trevilian is the pediatric trauma program manager at Carilion Children’s, she advises sledders to wear a helmet if the slope they are on is steep enough to lead to higher speeds. The number of children – and kids at heart – taking advantage of the ice and snow since Saturday to go sledding has increased – and so has the number of those showing up in the emergency room at Carilion Clinic with injuries ranging from broken arms and lacerations to spinal column trauma. Trevilian says the emergency department has also seen a spike in the number of people coming in with injuries related to slips and falls since the weekend.
Winter Sports Safety Tips
- Use appropriate and properly-fitted sports gear to prevent or reduce the severity of injuries. For winter sports, this gear may include shin guards, mouth guards and especially helmets when they’re skiing, snowboarding or playing ice hockey. Based upon recommendations made by the CPSC, we recommend using either a skate style helmet approved to ASTM F1492 or a ski/snowboard helmet approved to either ASTM F2040 or EN1077. While we are unaware of any sledding specific helmets, any of these helmets or a CPSC bicycle helmet would be better than no helmet in many sledding accidents.
- Encourage kids to drink plenty of water before, during and after play. Compared to adults, children are at increased risk of dehydration—and yes, it can happen even in cold temperatures.
- Wear warm clothing and use sunscreen. It’s also a good idea to have kids come indoors periodically to prevent hypothermia or frostbite –hot chocolate and marshmallows is a great way to lure them in.
