USA TODAY – One of the most laborious chores related to the winter weather is snow shoveling.
Though the task may just be another household chore to some, snow shoveling can be dangerous, and even fatal, to individuals with underlying health conditions.
According to the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, nearly 200,000 adults were treated in emergency rooms for snow shovel-related accidents between 1990-2006, and more than 1,600 deaths were reported during that timeframe.
Snow shoveling is a vigorous activity and puts a lot of demand on the body’s heart and musculoskeletal system, Bethany Barone Gibbs, an epidemiology and biostatistics professor at West Virginia University and volunteer with the American Heart Association, said.
Individuals with heart conditions are more likely to have a cardiac event when snow shoveling and people with musculoskeletal conditions or impaired balance are at higher risk for fall injuries.
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Gibbs said individuals with these conditions should get help from someone in good health to complete the chore. But if snow shoveling must be done, shovel a little at a time, take breaks and dress appropriately.
Here’s what to know.
“I wouldn’t want to draw a line in the sand with an age cutoff,” Gibbs said when asked who should and should not be snow shoveling.
“Someone very young with a heart or musculoskeletal condition should not shovel snow, while someone who is older but very fit and without heart of musculoskeletal conditions might be fine to shovel snow.”
When it comes to those more at risk when snow shoveling, a American Heart Association spokesperson said all adults over the age of 45 should be cautious.
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When it comes to health conditions, the association also advised extra care for people with known or suspected heart disease, high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol …