Ask A Doctor: How to Avoid Injury Falling on the Ice

As this record storm pummels the northeast, EverSoPopular got some good tips on how to navigate in this weather from an MD. Dr. Ronald Grelsamer, a leading surgeon and an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital, as a hip and knee specialist, Dr. Grelsamer is familiar with injuries associated with winter weather and shared his expert advice on how to prevent them.

Here is some useful advice from Dr. Grelsamer about how to avoid injury during the winter season on slippery sidewalks and roads.

1. Move your feet ever so slightly apart as you walk. This will give you better balance. If the street is really slippery, bend your knees a little bit. You may feel that you look funny, but it’s worth it.

2. When going down an incline, consider turning sideways. Do NOT cross one foot over the other, as you will have no balance while your feet are crossed. If the ground is steep, bend your knees (this is where those annoying ski lessons can pay off).

3. Protect your dominant arm. That would be the right if you are a righty, the left one if you are a lefty. Since a fall occurs very quickly, you have no time to plan for that. One recommendation is to hold your coat with your dominant hand, which instinctively leaves the other one to break your fall. If you are carrying something, do so with the dominant hand. Again, instinctively you will then use the weaker hand to brace yourself, should you fall.