According to Kentucky health experts, most emergency room visits can be avoided if people take the right precautions to stay safe. Among these preventable injuries are ladder related spinal injuries.
Emergency medicine specialist Dr. Blake Davidson said during this time of year, many adults are completing projects that require proper ladder use that are not practiced effectively.
“There are many injuries I see from those where people try and do something on their own or they are in an awkward position, they fall off the ladder and end up with a bad spinal injury for the rest of their life,” said Dr. Davidson.
Health experts advise adults to have another person present when using a ladder to reinforce stability as well as be there in case of an emergency. Adults are also advised not to use the top step of the ladder, especially if they are alone, to ensure stability on the mechanism.
Another piece of advice is to parents of infants. Dr. Tama Thé, emergency medicine specialist, said parents who choose to sleep with their infants are putting the child’s life at risk.
“But truly the kids that come into the ER and die that could be prevented are truly because they are not following safe sleep patterns. You may have heard about the “Back to Sleep” initiative from the American Association of Pediatrics and the ABCs of safe sleep. Babies should be alone, on their back, in their own crib,” said Dr. Tama Thé.
Health officials warn parents not to follow the opinions of others, especially internet influencers who claim that co-sleeping is crucial to the bond between the parent and child. Dr. Tama Thé said an infant is ten times more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome if they sleep with their parents.
Experts add that alongside sleeping in their crib or bassinet, an infant’s bed should not include big stuffed animals, many blankets, or pillows to reduce risk of harmful accidents.