Black ice: More than twice as many broken bones
Jens Richter is editor-in-chief at Since July 2020, the doctor and journalist has also been responsible as COO for business operations and the strategic development of
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Frequent temperature changes and precipitation around freezing point - this increases the risk of so-called lightning ice. The thin, often crystal-clear layer of ice lies almost invisibly on the frozen ground and is not only dangerous for motorized road users. For pedestrians, too, the risk of sudden falls increases - with sometimes serious consequences for injuries.
The trauma surgery of the Hannover Medical School (MHH) reported 45 black ice-related injuries from Saturday to Sunday of the previous weekend. Doctors had to treat cracks and bruises (30 cases) and broken bones particularly frequently - more than twice as many as on an average weekend. Most of these were fractures of the upper extremities, the collarbone, but also femoral neck fractures or fractures of the ankle, "said Professor Dr. Christian Krettek, Director of the Clinic for Trauma Surgery at the MHH.
Wait until the spreading services are active
Older people or people with walking difficulties are particularly at risk for fall injuries, whose mobility, reflexes and physical strength are often insufficient to absorb an impending fall - or to mitigate its consequences. But physically active people such as joggers or cyclists who practice their sport despite adverse road conditions are currently among the patients in the accident surgery hospital outpatient departments.
The advice of the meteorologists of the German Weather Service for such weather conditions is as effective as it is simple: "Stay in the house!" At least until building managers and gritting services were able to ensure safe road and path conditions. And that from the front door, because many falls already occur on the stairs or paths on private properties that are not supplied by the municipal gritting services.
You should generally refrain from sporting activities on paths where there is a risk of slippery ice. Or use soles or tires with so-called spikes, small metal pins that are worked into the tread.
Waddle like a penguin
If you should be surprised by black ice outside, the German Society for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery (DGOU) gives the following advice: Waddle like a penguin! That means: small, slow steps and always keep the center of gravity above the weight-bearing foot in front. This way of walking ensures more stability, even on smooth surfaces, according to the DGOU experts.
In the accident surgery outpatient clinic of the MHH, the situation has now relaxed, reports the clinic management. However, patients are now expected to be relocated with particularly complicated fracture injuries who have received primary care in other hospitals.
Sources: Press release from Hannover Medical School from January 8, 2017Press release of the German Society for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery from January 4, 2017
Tags: news elderly care menshealth
