Dear Patients,
I didn’t take my own advice about grippers on my outdoor boots and shoes. This week was really our first “hard snow” weeks. It’s Michigan, it’s November, so it’s freezing. Thinking I’d be ahead of the game, I grabbed my bag of road salt and headed out to do my driveway, which is long and steep (front wheel drive won’t cut it when it freezes). No grippers on the boots, but the thought “ I really should have grippers on my boots” did cross my mind. I had taken about ten steps when I hit pure, smooth-as-glass ice. It had been WATER when I walked in the door thirty minutes prior.
Long story short, I didn’t break anything when both feet went out from under me, but today my hip, my elbow, and one side of my head are really sore. Like some of you, I cannot take NSAIDS, so it’ll be ice at night and just getting through during the day.
Please gear up and get those grippers on your outdoor boots and shoes. I think the YakTrax and similar style devices are most convenient, as they won’t damage your floor too much if you forget to shed your footwear before going inside. Some of the other devices on the market will grip even better, but they will scratch and gouge wood flooring.
I got lucky this time.
Thomas M Basch MD
