Danger is everywhere.
That’s according to doctors who recently revealed a long list of common activities that can cause serious harm — and earn you an expensive trip to the emergency room.
For example, do you wear Crocs? They’re more than just a fashion faux pas, says one ER veteran, warning people to find better footwear.
Abdullah Pratt, an emergency medicine physician at the University of Chicago Medicine, told the New York Times that he sees “Croc-specific injuries” at least once per week.
The goofy footwear, although comfortable, doesn’t “provide traction” nor “ankle support,” he explained.
“People go flying, and so do their Crocs,” he said.
But that isn’t the only treacherous behavior that could land you in the ER.
“We see the worst of the worst, and the silliest of the silliest,” Pratt said.
Petting strangers’ dogs is also incredibly risky — no matter how cute the pooch.
“You don’t know what kind of trauma that animal has been put through and what kind of triggers it has,” he continued.
He wouldn’t dare but his face near anyone else’s dog, either.
“I think most dog owners have never seen what it looks like for a dog to maul someone,” he said. “I have.”
Another habit is the way people slice avocados or bagels. Often, people will hold the fruit or bakery item in the palm of their hand while they slice — a big no-no for ER docs.
Adaira Landry, an ER physician at Brigham and Women’s hospital, which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School, says cooking-related knife injuries are the most common injuries.
“Sometimes I’ll even ask, ‘Oh, were you cutting avocado?’” she told The Times. “And they’re like: ‘Yes! How did you know?’”
Gregory Sugalski, the chair of the emergency department at Hackensack University Medical Center, told The Times he often has patients who cut “their hands slicing bagels.”
Approximately 350,000 people seek medical treatment for knife injuries every year, according to Midwest Orthopedics at Rush.
“Never cut toward your hand,” Matt Shannon, University of Florida Health’s director of community emergency medicine, told The Times, adding that the item should be placed on a sturdy, non-slip surface.
Meanwhile, physicians also cautioned against trampolines.
“They’re a broken-bone factory,” Sugalski said. “We see fractures, dislocations, spinal injuries, head injuries, all the time.”
In fact, more than 100,000 people land in the ER with trampoline-related injuries every year — and the backyard hazard is Sugalski’s worst night as a father of three.
“When I hear ‘trampoline,’” he recalled, “I’m like, ‘Ugh, can we not go to this birthday party?’”
Biking, another favorite outdoor pastime, also presents a safety risk — only if you’re not wearing a helmet.
“We see folks come in with helmets and without helmets, and it’s night and day,” Sugalski explained, adding that “you’re just looking for serious injury” riding sans head protection.
If you get in a crash while wearing a helmet, Sugalski added, “for the most part, you’re walking away.
Lastly, Landry warned not to ignore sudden-onset symptoms, especially when it comes to pain or paralysis.
“I understand that there’s going to be medical costs and the time in the emergency room, but those shouldn’t preclude you from saving your own life,” she advised.
