It’s that time of year—the grass is starting to grow and lawn mowing will be back on the weekly chore list for many Nassau county residents. Did you know, however, that each year 25,000 Americans are injured due to the use of power mowers? At Long Island Foot & Ankle Group, PC, we want to urge our patients to follow proper safety precautions to avoid toe, foot and ankle injuries. Most injuries occur in two ages groups: children under the age of 14 and adults over the age of 44. Here are tips to keep the whole family safe:
Children—although it certainly looks like fun to ride on dad’s lap while he mows the lawn, this should not be done because many pediatric foot injuries occur to children getting on and off a power mower. Teach your children to stay off the lawn while you are mowing and tell them they need to wait until you turn the mower off before coming to you. The noise of the mower prevents parents from hearing a child approaching.
Adults—although much of lawn mower safety is common sense, sometimes we take a chance if we’re in a hurry, forgetting that once is all it takes to get a serious injury. The top cause of foot injuries when mowing is caused by slipping and losing control of the mower on wet grass. Always wait for a dry lawn to mow. If your yard is hilly, always mow side to side, not up and down. Do not pull a running mower backwards and keep the clip bag attached to catch sticks and other items that could fly out and strike someone. And, of course, always wear heavy shoes or work boots when mowing—sneakers and sandals vs. blades spinning at 3,000 rotations per minute is a disaster waiting to happen.
We hope you and your family will avoid all types of injury this spring but if you do hurt your foot or ankle during any activity, contact our Lake Success or Valley Stream office sooner rather than later. Our foot and ankle surgeons, Dr. Russell Caprioli, Dr. Mary Ann Bilotti, Dr. John Haight and Dr. Marzana Mleczko will prescribe the appropriate treatment for your condition so you can be back on your feet in no time. To schedule an appointment, contact us at: 516-825-4070 or 516-327-0074.