Walk like a penguin - and avoid slipping on ice and snow

Surgeons in German have published guidelines on how to avoid slipping on ice and snow – walk like a penguin.

German trauma surgeons advised the public to walk like penguins to avoid slipping on icy and snow-packed pavements. An advisory published on the website of the German Society of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery said that walking like penguins involves leaning the torso forward so that the centre of gravity is on the front leg.

When humans walk normally, body weight is split almost evenly over both legs, which the surgeons say increases the risk of losing balance and falling on slippery surfaces.

Rescue services in Germany received more than 750 emergency calls and emergency rooms were overstretched with patients with bone fractures due to falling on icy pavements. Slips and falls are the second-leading cause of unintentional deaths, according to the National Safety Council in America.

To walk like a penguin, do this: waddle. The waddle keeps your centre of gravity over your front leg and will help to keep you upright. Spread your feet out slightly to increase your centre of gravity, and take small steps.

Also, keep your hands out of your pockets while walking. Walking you’re your hands in your pockets decreases your centre of gravity and balance, You need your arms for balance.

Give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination. Wear shoes and boots with good traction. Walk at a slower pace (remember to do the penguin waddle). Stay on designated walkways. Use a handrail on stairs and entering and exiting buildings.

If you find yourself slipping, remember “tuck and roll."

If you feel yourself losing balance, tuck into a ball, make yourself as small as possible and keep your head and face away from the fall, experts say. Don't put out your hands to catch yourself, or you'll risk breaking your arms or wrists. Try to land on the fleshy part of your body (i.e. bottom) rather than your knees or spine.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/take-strange-advice-you-want-9564411

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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