Record-setting winter
weather in the U.S. has led to lots of road condition advisories, but could
there also be a slip and fall alert?
By analyzing various conditions -- like snow, wind speed, temperature -- into a
'Slipperiness Score,' a University of Michigan Health System study helps
identify what days are the most risky for slip and fall injuries.
"Although the
concept that slippery footing increases your risk of falling isn't new, what
we've been able to show is that these dangerous conditions result in more
fractures in this already vulnerable population of adults," says lead
study author Aviram Giladi, M.D., a resident in the U-M Department of Surgery's
Division of Plastic Surgery.
The study findings
include:
- Based on a scale, ranging from 0 to 7, on a day with a score above 4 the risk of sustaining a wrist fracture increased by 21 percent.
- On the most slippery days, that additional risk went up to nearly 40 percent.
- In the winter, over 1,000 additional wrist fractures occurred among adults age 65 and older compared to other seasons.
Nearly 90,000 Medicare
enrollees sustain wrist fractures each year, frequently from falls while
standing and usually outdoors. The fractures can be quite limiting, and lead to
a loss of independence for older patients. Medicare spends more than $240
million a year treating the injuries.
"Understanding the
risk of these injuries can help inform prevention and preparation efforts,
especially on days where the weather is bound to result in more slippery
conditions," says senior study author Kevin C. Chung, M.D., professor of
plastic surgery and orthopedic surgery and the Charles B. G. de Nancrede
Professor of Surgery.
"We hope to help people prepare for risky conditions and adjust where and when they walk outdoors."
"We hope to help people prepare for risky conditions and adjust where and when they walk outdoors."
Story Source:
The above story is
based on materials provided
by University of
Michigan Health System. Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal
Reference:
1.
Aviram M. Giladi, Melissa J. Shauver, Allison Ho, Lin Zhong, H.
Myra Kim, Kevin C. Chung. Variation
in the Incidence of Distal Radius Fractures in the U.S. Elderly as Related to
Slippery Weather Conditions. Plastic
and Reconstructive Surgery, 2014; 133 (2): 321 DOI: 10.1097/01.prs.0000436796.74305.38
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University of Michigan
Health System. "As the temperature drops, your risk of fracture
rises." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 3 February 2014.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140203101003.htm>.