Walking on Thin (or Thick) Ice – 3 Tips for the Winter

Winters in Michigan can be long, beautiful at times, cold, and sometimes very snowy and icy!

Every year around 1 million Americans are injured from a fall due to slipping on ice or snow. There is potential for this type of incident during the winter whether you’re healthy or already injured or frail. We see lots of people during the winter months from falls in driveways, sidewalks, or parking lots. These types of falls can cause a range of injuries, like muscle sprains, wrist, hip, and shin fractures, back and knee injuries, and more. We want to give you a few tips for when you do have to go out in poor conditions, to prevent falls:
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1. Wear shoes or boots with good traction!
There are a lot of things you can’t control, like the amount of snow, or how well your grocery store plows and ices their parking lot, but you can wear flat shoes with good grip (like rubber or neoprene rather than plastic or leather soles).
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​2. Set yourself up for success: walk on cleared areas, avoid ice, and give yourself extra time.
Rather than taking the shortest route (even when it’s really cold and you just want to get inside), take the smartest route. Avoid icy or uneven areas, and choose snowy or grassy areas over an icy path. Assume that pavement that looks wet may be icy and slippery. Position yourself near handrails, and use your car for support when getting in or out. Leave several minutes early so that you do not feel rushed and can move slowly and controlled.
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3. If you have to walk on ice, take short control steps.
Shuffle if you need to, and keep your center of gravity over your feet by keeping your strides short. Keep your hands out of your pockets because that decreases your center of gravity, making it more difficult to balance.

We hope these tips help you! Remember, if conditions are poor and you do not feel comfortable going on in the snow and ice, put your safety first and stay in or ask a friend to help you safely get where you need to be.
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​By: Lisa Pfotenhauer, cert. Exercise Physiologist (C-EP)