By Javan Williamson
on December 20, 2013
The best treatment for a cold
weather injury is to not get one in the first place.
If you’re going out hiking, hunting, skiing, visiting family, etc. during the winter,
bring/wear plenty of
layers for warmth in addition to
reliable fire starting means and other bug out bag essentials.
You also want to avoid tight fitting
clothing – especially boots. Tight clothes inhibit your blood
circulation as well as the
circulation of the warm air your body naturally gives off. Pay careful
attention to and protect your ears,
nose, fingers, and toes – these are the places that will most likely
experience a cold injury.
If you’ve heard of any advice on how
to survive cold weather, it’s probably this – DON’T SWEAT!
Sweating not only dehydrates you
(yes, you can still get dehydrated during the winter) but it gets
your clothes wet and will greatly
increase your chance of becoming a cold weather casualty.
That is why it’s best to wear
several layers – as you become more active and your body heats up,
remove outer layers to prevent
overheating and sweating. Also, drinking plenty of water is always
key to your survival in any climate.
Chilblains: Chilblains is a tissue injury that can be confused
with frostbite, but is usually
not as severe. It is caused by exposure to
non-freezing cold weather and humidity. It
usually only occurs in people that already
have some sort of circulation problem.
It can last for several days and typically
heals in a week or two after exposure to inclement
weather has
stopped.
- Signs and Symptoms:
Blisters; burning/itching sensation; pain in affected area; skin discoloration
- Treatment: Keep
affected area warm; topical steroid cream for itching
2. Trench Foot: Trench foot got its name from Soldiers suffering from
this condition during WWI.
It is caused by prolonged exposure to damp and
cold conditions and is still regularly found today
among the homeless. Trench foot is typically a
bit more serious of a condition than chilblains.
It can take less than a day for symptoms to
start showing and can happen up to 60 °F. If left
untreated, it will cause gangrene and need
amputated. It can be easily avoided by wearing boots
that are not too tight and drying out/changing
your socks at least once a day.
- Signs and Symptoms:
Pain; numbness; discoloration; blisters
- Treatment: Keep feet
dry and warm; take off boots and socks when resting and sleeping
3. Frost nip: Frost nip is the first stage of frostbite. It is
reversible, superficial freezing of tissue.
Permanent skin damage is not
expected.
- Signs and Symptoms: Pale
skin; numbness; tingling
- Treatment: Rewarm
affected areas immediately – can be as simple as breathing on your hands
and/or placing your hands over
affected areas (nose or ears)
4. Frostbite: Frostbite occurs when ice crystals are formed in
cells. As your body temperature
gets lower, blood is pulled into your core to
keep your important organs working properly; however,
this is taking away the warm blood from your
extremities leaving you more susceptible to frostbite;
however, in extreme conditions,
frostbite can affect exposed skin within minutes. There are varying
degrees of frostbite that range from
superficial to actually freezing bones. The longer you are
exposed to freezing conditions, the more
severe your frostbite will become. If left untreated for
too long, the affected parts will
simply fall off or require amputation.
- Signs and Symptoms (in
order of severity): Pale skin; numbness; tingling; burning;
clear blisters; top layer of skin feels hard
to the touch; clumsiness; complete loss of sensation;
yellowish/blueish/gray colored skin;
blood-filled blisters; skin and below feels hard/solid to
the touch; blackened skin; gangrene
- Avoid: Warming affected
area if refreezing is possible; rubbing/massaging affected areas
- Treatment: Remove
wet/restrictive clothing; permanently remove casualty from the cold;
rapidly rewarm affected areas; seek
medical help. If there is no chance of getting to professional
help, apply aloe vera, wrap, splint
and elevate affected area and give the casualty pain killers to
combat the extreme pain that comes
with frostbitten body parts rewarming.
5. Hypothermia: Hypothermia is described as the body’s temperature
going below 95 °F. Left
untreated, hypothermia will shut
down the heart and lungs resulting in death. The best way to
fight hypothermia is to remove wet
clothing and move into a warmer area. It is broken down into
the following 3 categories of
severity:
- 1. Mild – 90-95 °F
body temperature; shivering; high blood pressure; rapid heart rate/breathing;
blood vessels constrict; confusion;
high blood sugar
-2. Moderate –
82-90 °F body temperature; shivering becomes more violent; clumsiness;
pale/bluish skin;
blood vessels constrict further
-3. Severe – <
82 °F body temperature; heart rate/breathing/blood pressure decrease;
difficulty speaking/thinking; amnesia; no
motor skills; can barely walk; irrational behavior
such as to taking off clothes
Remember, someone isn’t dead until
they’re warm and dead! Some “miraculous” cases have
been documented where individuals
have recovered from extremely low core temperatures
and were declared clinically dead
until their bodies were able to rewarm.
Also, if you or someone you know
experiences any of the above conditions and makes a
full recovery, they are going to be
more susceptible to the same or worse conditions in
the future – know and monitor these
individuals in cold weather. Prevention by preparation
is the best way to fight cold
weather injuries.
Stay prepared; stay alive!