Icy Sidewalks Mean Busy Emergency Rooms

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - All the ice in Philadelphia has made for busy emergency rooms.

Some surgeons specializing in foot and wrist injuries say they see about a 20-30% increase in traffic to their offices after a big snow or ice storm, and Dr. Shyam Brahambhabatt from Abington Hospital says these past couple of days have been busy, as anticipated.

"In fact I saw a lady who was coming to see me for shoulder pain, but slipped and fell in the parking lot," Brahambhabatt says.

Dr. Pedro Beredjiklian with the Rothman Institute at Jefferson Hospital says slipping on ice can really do a number on your body.

He offers tips for those trying to maneuver through the icy remnants of Philadelphia's slippery streets and sidewalks. "Hold onto railings, make sure they have the right shoe wear, walk around lighted areas. Wearing mitts or protective gear on their wrists can help."

Both of these doctors say if you do fall, your reaction tends to be involuntary, so it's difficult to control, but if you can, protect your head.  They say a wrist or foot injury is better than a head injury.

Reported by Hadas Kuznits, KYW Newsradio