Too often, we humans make the error of not changing the way in which we walk in relation to the surface we’re walking on, says Deboo. We often walk with our center of gravity barely behind us and our heel lands first before rolling onto the forefoot. “The challenge of walking on ice is that the moment you land a heel strike, your weight continues to be behind you,” she says. “Then you slide after which boom, you land on the underside or on the side.”
Most people think that navigating icy patches is only a matter of not moving too fast, but in response to Deboo, that is not true. “All it means is you are just gliding and landing slower and falling slower,” he says. “But you may still slide on the ice due to your heel strike and your center of gravity a bit further away.”
Learning to walk (or moderately, a puddle) like a penguin may help prevent this.
The keys to walking on ice like a penguin
When you have a look at walking penguins, because their legs are so short, they never have the chance to have their center of gravity anywhere but right below them, explains Deboo. For this reason, they naturally take short, uneven strides, giving them a greater base of support.
“So the way in which we translate it to humans is a slight hip hinge, a slight bend within the knees, then small steps and landing with the entire foot on the bottom,” says Deboo. “To land your whole foot on the bottom, you’ve gotten no selection but to take a much smaller step. And because of the hip suspension, now your weight is slightly over that foot whenever you put weight on it.”
Though experts recommend a more shuffling gait, Deboo emphasizes the importance of lifting your entire foot off the bottom with each step – not only sliding it across the surface of the ice, which is unlikely to be as smooth on the surface as it might in an ice rink, similar to “Underneath there could also be gravel that creates an uneven surface,” he says.
Keep your hands out of your pockets and barely away out of your sides to allow you to keep your balance.
Other basic ice safety rules
In addition to adjusting the way in which you walk, Deboo says it is also essential to concentrate to your footwear. “Of course, anything with a smooth sole is not perfect,” he says. “You want something with a little bit of grip.”
He tells his patients to contemplate buying Yaktrax, a style of crampon that hooks onto the only of a shoe to supply higher traction on slippery surfaces. “It’s principally like putting cords in your tires but on the underside of your boots,” he says, adding that trekking poles are also a helpful winter accessory to have readily available should you can.
It’s also a very good idea to speculate in a very good pair of winter boots. “Bring your work boots with you, and whenever you get to work, be at liberty to alter them,” says Deboo. “Sometimes people don’t need to take that extra step and get in trouble.”
Finally, if possible, take a walk around ice as a substitute. And while this will likely seem obvious, it’s price repeating: keep watch over the weather forecast and check out to avoid leaving your property in unsafe conditions.
If you fall, do this to remain protected
Accidents occur, and should you lose your balance while walking on ice, Deboo says there are just a few things you’ll be able to do to cut back your risk of great injury. Thinking about them before stepping on frozen surfaces can allow you to mentally prepare (and hopefully react faster) do you have to fall.
Most people fall backwards on the ice due to the way in which they walk, and their instinct is to stretch their arms out to arrange for impact, but in response to Deboo, doing so will almost definitely result in a broken wrist. “Ideally, you’ll resist the pattern of wanting to succeed in out,” he says. Instead, “put your hands in and land in your shoulder. If you’ll be able to consider it, put your head down.” Therefore, consider walking with a penguin as your first resort and the fetal position as your last resort.
