The Most Common Holiday Injuries At Main Line Health

MAIN LINE, PA — The holidays are in full swing. Christmas is coming up, and the New Year is right behind it.

And medical professionals at Main Line Health will likely be seeing an uptick in holiday-related injuries.

Dr. Steven Moonblatt, Chair of Main Line Health's Department of Emergency Medicine, said the most common injuries that increase this time of year are cuts.

"People get these injuries from opening presents or food preparation," he said.

With plenty of gatherings around meals ahead, home chefs should ensure their knives are sharp (a dull knife is more prone to slipping and resulting in a laceration than a sharp knife).

Additionally, anyone doing food preparation should avoid distractions when handling potentially dangerous kitchen utensils, he said. One particularly dangerous kitchen utensil is the mandolin.

"There's always one mandolin injury around the holidays," he said. When slicing foods on a mandolin, be sure to use any guards that come with the utensil, or hold the food with a protective covering, such as a clean dish towel, to avoid injury.

It's not just kitchen work that leads to cuts, though.

Moonblatt said hand lacerations often come from opening gifts, especially items that come in hard-shell plastic that prove difficult to open. That very plastic itself can also become dangerous when hard edges are made when they're opened.

Another common cause for ER trips over the holidays are burns from time in the kitchen.

Burns and cuts can become more common when alcohol is involved, as well, he said.

Moonblatt said burns not only stem from cooking, but also increased uses in candles. And Moonblatt said while candle flames pose risks, the public should also be cautious with hot candle wax.

The Lower Merion Township Fire Department urges candle burners to use sturdy holders, avoid passing burning candles to others, not to place lit candles near flammable materials such as window curtains or blinds, place continuously burning candles in fire-proof containers like glass, and to keep children away from candles, matches, lighters, and other sources of fire.

For fireplaces, the LMFD said keep combustible items at least three feet from fireplaces, avoid burning paper in fireplaces or wood stoves, always extinguish fires fully before heading to sleep, get chimneys professionally cleaned, and put ashes in a metal container with a lid and place the container outside at least 10 feet from residences.

Other fire safety tips include ensuring trees are sufficiently watered, avoiding overloading outlets and power strips, and unplugging, turning off, and extinguishing all decorations before going to bed.

When it comes to internal injuries, Moonblatt warned of "holiday heart syndrome."

"It's arrhythmia in the heart, sometimes related to excess drinking, lack of sleep, or over indulging in foods," he said.

With alcohol often flowing freely and plenty of salty, buttery, and sweet foods aplenty this time of year, some revelers should be more aware of potential overconsumption. That overconsumption, he said, can lead to an uptick in heart related incidents in people with chronic heart issues.

And it's not just people who may suffer from chronic heart issues that may be feeling ill on the inside.

"GI related stuff comes up, as well," he said. "It can stem from people eating leftovers that sat out all day. They can experience nausea, vomiting, acid reflux, and heartburn."

Injuries can also arise from using new gifts.

Moonblatt said it's crucial to read instructions for newly acquired items, especially dangerous things such as power tools and e-scooter and e-bikes.

"Always wear helmets, always assemble items correctly," he said. And in the case of e-scooter and e-bikes, which are the subjects of new and proposed local and state regulations, Moonblatt urged riders to follow any and all laws surrounding them.

Lastly, while not necessarily holidays related, Moonblatt said winter obviously leads to more physical work such as snow and ice removal.

This can result in slips, heart attacks, and muscle injuries from chores like shoveling.

Radnor Township Police Sgt. Brady McHale said local first responders will get more emergency service requests related to those injuries this time of year.

"We see a lot of slips and falls," he said.

McHale wants not just Radnor Township residents to be aware of municipal codes surrounding snow and ice removal.

In Radnor, residents have 24 hours after snowfall has ended to remove snow and ice from their sidewalks. Residents in Main Line municipalities can use this online tool to find their local snow and ice removal laws here to ensure they are adhering to any ordinances.

And when it comes down to holiday and winter safety, Moonblatt has a simple message: "Don't do anything you wouldn't normally do."

McHale said the holidays can lead to local police getting more calls stemming from alcohol consumption as well. While McHale said he can't speak to Radnor specifics, police in general see an increase in domestic related calls seasonally, as large gathering with alcohol being served can sometimes be breeding grounds for heated exchanges.

After the gifts have been opened (safely), recipients should be aware of painting themselves as targets by potential thieves and burglars.

McHale said it's unwise to leave packaging of high dollar value items out for trash and recycling collections, as doing so can signal to criminals that certain residences might have plenty of items to pilfer.

Window peepers can also get glimpses of expensive items, so McHale said it's smart to avoid displaying fancy new gifts in windows so as not to advertise a potential score for crooks.

And, as gifts are delivered this time of year, McHale encouraged the public to avoid leaving packages unattended on stoops, porches and more.

"Use neighbors or others come grab them for you," he said of items delivered to empty homes.

McHale said security cameras monitoring porches and more are important tools in combatting porch pirates.

"Cameras aren't necessarily deterrents [for package thieves], but they do help with identifying suspects," he said.

Even if one residence was not victimized by a package thief, residential security cameras can help out neighbors who have items stolen from their doorsteps.

Security footage of suspects can act as "puzzle pieces" to help thieves, he said.

When shopping, McHale said to keep any bags such as purses close by, and to maybe keep wallets in front pockets to stave off cutpurses.

If you've got an armful of bags full of purchases, McHale suggested asking a store employee for assistance in transporting those items out of businesses and into vehicles. Carrying a large load of items can lead to a lack of awareness and potential victimization.

For those leaving home for the holidays, McHale said using timers for interior and exterior lighting can create the illusion of an occupied home.

Other ways to make it seems as though homes are occupied is having a neighbor or friend park in driveways when out of the house.

Radnor Police and other local PDs often provide programs to check on vacant homes as well. Learn more about Radnor's Vacant House Watch program online here.

As with always, McHale said it's important to lock doors and windows and to contact local police when seeing any suspicious activity.

"Keep an eye on people," he said. "That way, the holidays are happy and crime free."