Mayo Clinic Minute: Why wrists are a common casualty of winter

When winter brings ice and snow, slipping, sliding and falling become a problem.

Mayo Clinic orthopedic hand and wrist surgeon Dr. Sanj Kakar always sees a spike in wrist injuries immediately after winter storms, especially among older people whose bones may become weak over time because of osteoporosis.

In most cases, Dr. Kakar says four to six weeks in a cast to let the bone heal is the best treatment, assuming it’s lined up OK, but sometimes surgery is necessary.

But avoiding a wrist injury when you fall on ice is difficult.

He says if you have to walk in snow or on ice, it’s best to slow down and have something or someone to hold on to in case you start to fall.
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