Common Summer Injuries to Avoid

With the weather warming up and summer is drawing near.  Kids are getting out of school and outdoor activities are starting to be a normal daily thing.  From bicycle rides, to swimming, to hiking, or even just laying out by a pool there are a lot of injuries that can happen.  There are some things you can do to try and eliminate these common injuries.

One of the most common is heat-related illness.  This can be dehydration or heat stroke. You can get these from too much sun exposure and the lack of fluids.  Dehydration is very common in the summer due to the higher temperatures. Your body temperature increases causing you to sweat and lose water and if you don’t drink plenty of water to replenish you lead to risk of dehydration.  It is even easier to become dehydrated while swimming. Heat stroke can cause nausea, dizziness, headaches, and confusion. While dehydration can cause some of the same symptoms as heat stroke, dehydration can also cause fatigue and muscle weakness. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids, water is best, but  making sure it is non alcoholic beverage is important to not lead to further dehydration.

One of the best things about summer is the sunshine.  Too much sunshine can lead to sunburns. A sunburn is a form of radiation burn that affects living tissue such as skin.  Your skin will turn red and be sore to touch. A severe sunburn can cause fatigue and dizziness. The easiest form of prevention is sunscreen.  Make sure to apply generously over all exposed skin and reapply throughout the day. Wearing a hat can help shield your face from the sun also. Even if the sun is not fully shining, and it is cloudy you can still be susceptible to getting a sunburn.  Make sure to either apply sunscreen or limit sun exposure. It can sometimes take a few days to develop the severity of the sunburn. After the skin becomes red and starts to hurt you can take pain relievers, do cool compresses on the skin, and use aloe lotions.  If home remedies do not work you can go to the doctor to seek other options.

Another common sickness in the summer is food poisoning.  This is because the temperatures being warmer and humidity being higher can cause bacteria to grow on foods faster.  So foods left out after a cookout or during a picnic can start to grow bacteria within minutes. If you eat food that has been exposed to bacteria it can cause abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting  In severe cases you may have to go to the hospital for treatment. You will need rebalance your fluids and electrolytes. Sometimes you will need antibiotics depending on the type of food poisoning.  Antibiotics are not always helpful they can make symptoms worse in some cases. Consult a doctor before taking any antibiotic.

Burns can happen anytime.  Burns from fireworks increase during the summer.  Other burns from campfires, or bonfires, or even grills increase as well during the summer.  Fireworks alone caused 12,900 injuries in 2017. From fingers being blown off to severe burns, or even death.  Children are responsible for almost thirty percent of the injuries. Make sure to keep fireworks out of the reaches of children, and be very careful in setting them off.  Or the best solution to leave fireworks to the professionals.

Bee stings and other bug or critter bites are also a the top of the list of injuries during the summer.  Bee stings can happen while doing yard work or even playing around on a playground. To avoid being attractive to bees limit the cologne and perfume you wear.  Bees are attracted to these smells drawing them to you and then when you swat at them or they get caught in your clothes they will have a tendency to sting out of self defense. Also to help the bees from being drawn to you wear mild colored clothes so the the bees won’t think you’re flowers.  Home remedies for a bee sting are to put ice on the sting, aloe vera oil, honey or baking soda on the sting. If you are allergic to bee stings seek medical attention immediately. If you have already been diagnosed with an allergy make sure to keep your medicine on you while outside.

Summer days bring lots of fun and activities for the whole family to enjoy.  Swimming pools, beaches and parks are great things to be able to enjoy. Make sure you take some precautions to prevent some of these injuries that are so common so you can enjoy an injury free summer. If you end up with any of these consult your doctor for more information.