Advice for preparing for physical winter activities, changes

Staying active can ward off injuries

By Mary Wasche
For The Star

Winterization isn't necessarily limited to homes, and anyone heading outside for work or play this season might want to consider the impact winter can have on them physically.

Physical therapist James Halfpenny examines a patient's injured knee at his Eagle River office. Halfpenny offers advice for avoiding winter injuries. PHOTO BY MARY WASCHE

“Lots of people tend to hunker down for the winter. But, basically, the more active you stay, the more reactive you will be to changes in surfaces when you're out there,” he said. “It comes down to staying as active as possible.”

Halfpenny added that for the newly active in winter, the main thing is to take it slow at first. He advises people who are not used to being outdoors to keep it as simple as they can starting out.

“People tend to do too much and go at it full bore. They're forgetting they're not 20 years old anymore,” he said.

Dr. Luba Coverdell of Acute Family Medicine in Eagle River advised stretching before beginning cold weather activity. “And drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration, wear reflective gear and layers of clothing, cover your ears, and be sure to wear cleats when ice builds up on roads and sidewalks,” she said.

Halfpenny explained that the most preventable winter injury he sees results, remarkably, from people trying to lift their snowmachines after becoming stuck.

“Most snowmachine injuries aren't from going 75 miles an hour. They're from trying to lift the machines out of precarious situations when they get stuck,” he said. “People forget about proper body mechanics or getting assistance.”

However, speed and impact were a factor in the most bizarre winter injury he's ever treated.

“It was a guy who hit a moose while he was riding his snowmachine,” Halfpenny said. “It took him out pretty good. He said he was going 60 mph. I don't know how he survived that one.”

Halfpenny offered advice for those who experience a winter injury. “People don't listen to their bodies,” he said. “If they get hurt, they try to work through it. When it hurts, they don't stop. But that keeps the irritation irritated.”

He added that soreness from activities like snow shoveling and falls will continue to get worse if the activity isn't stopped. “Avoid the painful instance. Don't feed into it and make it worse,” he advised. “Pain is an indicator of trauma and irritation. After it happens, take it easy.”

Halfpenny said a typical day in his office includes seeing 10 to 12 patients with conditions ranging from ankle problems to upper cervical spine injuries.

He became a physical therapist after being exposed to the medical world by his father, a surgeon. “I really liked the way a PT can spend lots of time with a patient. We can really get people to be able to function again,” he explained.

Reach the reporter at news@alaskastar.com.

This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, September 27, 2007.