ALEXANDRIA, VA-The remnants of Alexandria’s first snowfall can still be seen all over town and additional snow is anticipated this winter. More snow means more shoveling, but Brian Krieger, MD, an Inova physician who specializes in emergency medicine, cautions against treating it like a traditional household chore, especially if you are managing other health challenges.
“The comparison has been that it is about the equivalent of running a 15-minute mile. Not crazy, but if it takes you an hour, you are running four miles. How many people can get out there and just go ahead and do that?” he said.
Dr. Krieger is the medical director of the emergency department at Inova’s Oakville Health Center, which is across from Potomac Yard. The outpatient center offers the full suite of emergency services, and he has seen many instances where patients had to be admitted because of complications that arose from shoveling snow.
“When you factor in elderly folks who are living alone, who have cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, are diabetic, or smokers,” Dr. Krieger said, “they probably shouldn’t be out doing those things and going out and running basically a 5K”.
Another factor that more individuals need to consider is the fact that cold weather alone, regardless of any physical activity, increases one’s risk for heart attacks and cardiovascular events. For example, research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology last September found that hospital admissions for heart attacks increased after exposure to colder temperatures. While the cause of this has not been determined, Dr. Krieger explained that the two proposed theories are that cold weather either: 1) increases the risk for clotting, and 2) shrinks or constricts the blood vessels.
“If you are doing an activity where you need more blood supply and therefore more oxygen running through your blood when those vessels constrict down from the cold weather,” he said, “you’re not able to push that blood through as fast and that increases your risk of heart attack.”
Beyond cardiovascular issues, Dr. Krieger also said many individuals run the risk of hurting themselves physically, either by falling on ice or overdoing it. He also practices at Inova Alexandria Hospital and noted that there was an increase in patients following the snow that fell the week of January 6, saying, “We’re seeing a lot of back issues, either new or recurrent and we’re seeing a lot of fractures, which is a big one.”
“These are usually fractures requiring surgery, which is unfortunate,” he added. “That is going to put you on a shelf for anywhere from six to eight to 10 weeks.”
Yet many individuals living alone have underlying health issues and still may have to shovel their own snow. Dr. Krieger said there are steps they can take to reduce their exertion level. The first one is to scrap the mindset of taking huge scoops of snow and throwing them over their shoulder. Instead, he recommends positioning yourself to either take smaller scoops or simply push the snow. Most importantly, people shoveling their own snow should not be in a hurry.
“For folks who have to shovel, who can’t find a neighbor or a younger healthy relative to do it for them, take your time, take frequent breaks, come inside and warm up, and just kind of push [instead] of lifting and throwing,” said Dr. Krieger.
And of course, if you do have access to younger, healthier family members, put them to work.
“I have four little kids. They make a game out of it and I have them try to do it,” he shared. “Obviously, they’re probably not going to do an amazing job, but the clean-up work is going to be a lot less than moving all the snow.”
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