As New Englanders head outdoors to enjoy hiking, biking, swimming and other summer activities, Dartmouth Health is reminding families that many of the season’s most common injuries are preventable with a little bit of planning.
Jim Esdon, program coordinator of Dartmouth Health Children’s Injury Prevention Center, discussed summer injury prevention during Dartmouth Health’s July PressRx media availability. Topics included hiking safety, heat-related illness, water safety, bicycle safety and preventing injuries among children.
“Summer keeps us busy,” said Esdon. “We see everything from bicycle injuries to cuts and scrapes, burns from grills and fire pits, and falls. Many of these injuries can be prevented by taking simple precautions before heading outside.”
Hiking safety
As people flock to the Green and White Mountains each summer, Esdon said the most common hiking injuries include blisters, sprains and muscle strains. More serious injuries often involve falls, heat illness and water-related incidents.
Before heading onto the trail, hikers should:
• Wear supportive footwear, with an emphasis on ankle support
• Consider using trekking poles for stability
• Know their route and check the weather conditions, especially at higher elevations
• Hike with more than one person, but if solo hiking, tell someone where they are going and when they expect to return
• Carry enough food, water, and emergency supplies to spend an unexpected night outdoors, if necessary
• Avoid relying solely on a cell phone for communication
Esdon also cautioned hikers against attempting unfamiliar river or stream crossings, noting that rainfall can quickly change water conditions.
Warning signs that it may be time to end a hike and turn around include confusion, weakness, unusually low energy, significant pain and loss of motivation.
If someone is injured on the trail, hikers should ensure that the area is safe, protect the injured person from the elements, and make themselves visible while awaiting assistance.
Children’s safety
Children face unique summertime risks as they spend more time outdoors. Esdon said common injuries include heat-related illness, sunburn, insect bites, poison ivy, falls, and burns.
Parents and caregivers can reduce the risk of injury by:
• Supervising children during outdoor play
• Encouraging frequent hydration
• Making sure kids wear helmets while riding bicycles
• Removing bike helmets before kids play on playground equipment, as they could get caught
Families traveling this summer should also ensure children are properly restrained in car seats or seat belts, secure loose items inside vehicles and install carbon monoxide detectors in campers.
Water safety
Whether spending time at a lake, river or pool, Esdon recommended close supervision around water and wearing properly fitted, U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets while boating.
He advised against using inflatable arm floaties, which can create a false sense of security, as they can place children in a face-down, drowning position. They are not a suitable replacement for a life jacket.
For group outings, Esdon suggested designating a “water watcher” – an adult whose sole responsibility is supervising kids in and around water. He also encouraged families to recognize that cold water can be dangerous, even during the summer, and recommended learning CPR in case of an emergency.
Brightly colored swimsuits in colors like neon orange, yellow or green can also improve visibility in natural bodies of water, making children easier to spot.
Downloadable video and transcriptions are available for this PressRx. If you are interested, please reach out to news@dartmouth-health.org.
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and largest private employer, serves patients across New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,300 providers in nearly every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH. Its network of hospitals, outpatient centers, clinics and home care facilities, spans a broad geographical area. Year after year, DHMC is named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is consistently recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, northern New England’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and one of less than than 60 total nationally; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital (Children’s Hospital at DHMC/CHaD) and more than 20 locations around the region; eight member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont, Hampstead, and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Dartmouth Health Home Care; Dartmouth Health Connected Care Center for Telehealth, serving patients as far away as Texas; and more than 30 primary and multi-specialty clinics across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its partnership with Dartmouth College, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and the White River Junction VA Medical Center, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials with international impact. Dartmouth Health and its more than 16,000 employees are committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in the communities it serves and to providing every patient with exceptional, state-of-the-art, personalized care. Learn more at dartmouth-health.org.
About Dartmouth Health Children's
Dartmouth Health Children’s is the only comprehensive pediatric healthcare system in the region with the first integrative medicine children’s hospital in the country. Fully integrated in Dartmouth Health and anchored for more than 30 years by Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD) in Lebanon, NH, Dartmouth Health Children’s promotes health, advances knowledge, and delivers the best patient- and family-centered care for infants, children, and adolescents across New Hampshire and Vermont. Dartmouth Health Children’s conducts groundbreaking research and educates the next generations of health professionals as the primary pediatric partner of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Highly skilled, inclusive, and collaborative children’s health professionals provide care in multiple settings across the region. A unique partnership between DH and the state of New Hampshire provides the only inpatient psychiatric care for children and adolescents in the state at Hampstead Hospital. Outpatient specialty visits and same-day surgery services are available at more than 20 locations, including all Dartmouth Health member locations, throughout New Hampshire and Vermont.