Thanksgiving is approaching. With the joyous holiday comes a number of ways to end up in the emergency room. Thanksgiving is the 3rd most “injury-prone” holiday in the United States, right behind Independence Day and Memorial Day. Read more about how to avoid going to the ER this Turkey Day and how to stay safe!
Common Thanksgiving Injuries and Prevention
Thanksgiving ‘HOLIDAY HEART’
Overindulging can cause epinephrine or norepinephrine hormones to surge through your body and trigger an irregular heartbeat, called atrial fibrillation. Even with no previous heart conditions or heart disease, you can still be susceptible to Holiday Heart.
Enjoy your favorite holiday foods but keep in mind how much of the rich fatty foods you consume. Also think about the amount of sugar and alcohol you eat. Be sure to drink plenty of water and keep your exercise routine to maintain a healthy heart.
Burns and Cuts
It’s no surprise that burns and cuts happen most frequently during Thanksgiving. Carving Turkey, cutting up potatoes, and other sharp kitchen gear lead to more cuts needing serious attention. Cooking around a hot stove or oven will mean more serious burns than your typical weeknight routine.
A fun fact for our area, a hospital emergency room in Sugar Land, Texas, tweeted last week: “Did you know that Texas has the most cooking and grease-related injuries on Thanksgiving day than any other state?”
Thanksgiving Food Poisoning
Many people spend time cooking new recipes this season. With more distractions and different foods to prepare than what you may be used to, Thanksgiving could mean more opportunities for getting food poisoning.
Calls to the Poison Control Center at the University of Kansas Hospital typically increase during the holidays, officials there say. Be sure you’re washing your hands, cooking things like stuffing separately and storing leftovers properly to ensure you avoid food poisoning.
Sports Injuries and Concussions
Do you and your family members like tossing the pigskin before the big meal? Emergency Medicine Physician Robert Glatter located in New York states, “Pickup football games can be a source of significant injury”. We typically see head injuries and concussions along with various orthopedic injuries from wrist and ankle fractures, to ruptured Achilles tendons, dislocated fingers and knee sprains.”
Don’t throw in the towel just yet.Just be extra cautious when hitting the back yard for some football fun.
Need emergency care or health services during the holiday? Our Emergency Room is open 24/7 to help.
Disclaimer:
The Comanche County Memorial Hospital website does not provide specific medical advice for individual cases. Comanche County Memorial Hospital does not endorse any services obtained through information provided on this site, articles on the site or any links on this site.
Use of the information obtained by the Comanche County Memorial Hospital website does not replace medical advice given by a qualified medical provider to meet the medical needs of our readers or others.
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Sources:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/12/23/most-dangerous-holidays-in-america/4174115/