How to avoid the most common summer injuries and illnesses

1. Overheating, dehydration, heatstroke

In summer, people most often go to the doctor for ailments caused by heat, ranging from dehydration to severe heatstroke.

The most severe and often dangerous manifestation of overheating of the body is heatstroke. Young children and the elderly are most susceptible to heatstroke. Especially serious consequences (up to cardiac arrest) can develop in those who suffer from cardiovascular diseases.

The main symptoms of heatstroke: redness of the skin, high body temperature, muscle pain, heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath (up to respiratory failure), dizziness, impaired consciousness.

Symptomatic heatstroke, especially in those at risk, requires immediate medical attention.

In hot weather, try to drink plenty and not be outside for too long, especially from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. If you have to spend several hours under the scorching sun, wear a light-colored hat.

2. Dangers associated with bathing

The hotter it is outside, the more we are drawn to the water. Unfortunately, beach holidays often end up with injuries from diving, boating, bananas, jet skis and other watercraft.

But the scariest part of the statistics on water accidents is that of drowned children left unattended for a moment.

Philip Kuzmenko Therapist of the mobile clinic DOC +.

Unfortunately, people often ignore warning signs, swim in unsuitable reservoirs for this, which often leads to sad consequences. If you dive into the water without knowing the bottom or depth, you can stumble upon a rebar, rusty pipe or stone and end your picnic with cuts, lacerations, or fractures of the cervical vertebrae.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 90% of all drowned people bathed while drunk. That is why you need to follow a very simple but effective rule: if you cannot stand firmly on the ground, do not go into the water.

If a person dives into the water, it will be possible to save him only within six minutes. Therefore, think three times before swimming in an unknown reservoir, drunk or letting children play in the water unattended.

Oddly enough, most often children drown when they are resting by the water, accompanied by a bunch of adults. It seems to parents that the more people there are, the safer the kids are.

In fact, the elders are usually keen on communicating with each other, and the children are mostly left to their own devices. Often, babies fall into the water when no one is looking at them. And, according to statistics, they die mainly in the basins and not far from the coast, at a shallow depth.

If you are going to relax by the water, determine which adult will be watching over the children. You can change every half hour. The main thing is that there are always people responsible for the safety of the kids.

3. Burns and cuts

In summer, lovers of fires and barbecue, as well as victims of inept handling of kitchen knives, constantly turn to hospitals and emergency rooms. Often, those who go to rest in nature, either do not cook in everyday life, or try to cut a snack podshofe.

Philip Kuzmenko Therapist of the mobile clinic DOC +.

People do not think that when pressed, a negative pressure is created in the bottle and there is a risk that it can burst into flames in an instant right in the hands.

4. Poisoning and intestinal disorders

Summer is the favorite time of infectious disease specialists. Heat and humidity are the optimal breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria.

Typically, people end up in the hospital after picnics, where food may be half-baked, improperly cooked, or exposed to the sun for a long time. Another cause of intestinal infections is poorly washed fruits and vegetables.

Boris Polyaev Head of the Department of Rehabilitation of the Yusupov Hospital.

To protect yourself from the unpleasant symptoms of food poisoning, in the heat you need to follow a few simple rules:

Wash hands thoroughly before eating.
Avoid foods high in soda and yeast, since fermentation products are an excellent place for the development of pathogenic microorganisms.
Thoroughly wash all vegetables and fruits that end up on the table
Observe the storage conditions for products, especially dairy products.

5. Sports injuries

Anyone who has been sitting in the office all winter and lying on the couch, and in the summer has decided to play a ball on the grass or jump for a frisbee, runs the risk of saying goodbye to active rest on the same day. Sprains, dislocations and fractures are the most common summer injuries faced by doctors in emergency rooms.

Grigory Kukushka Traumatologist at the Kursk Railway Hospital.

The most common sports injuries at any time of the year are injuries to the ligamentous apparatus and the meniscus of the knee joint. Patients receive these injuries while playing football, volleyball, basketball and other game sports.

In the summer, such injuries occur due to the fact that when playing in nature, people often forget about the necessary protection of the ligaments: from the right shoes to joint braces. Sand does not provide the necessary support for the legs, and this is precisely the additional risk factor for injury.

The only injury that can be considered a summer injury is a cervical spine injury. Unfortunately, divers do not think about safety and continue to dive in unexplored places in pursuit of adrenaline or showing off to friends. Often such injuries are life-threatening.

So that the first active summer weekend does not result in several weeks in a cast or fixing bandages, do not forget about a warm-up. In general, it is better to be active during the rest of the year.

6. Skin irritations and insect bites

Bright summer greens are fraught with a lot of dangers, from allergies to deadly hogweed burns. Insect bites are also one of the typical summer problems that doctors have to deal with.

Watch for the area of irritation or bite. If a bump or swelling appears on it that does not subside or increases in size, see your doctor immediately.

Olga Dekhtyareva Chief physician of Gemotest Laboratory LLC.

Irritation and even burns can be caused by many plants, for example, hogweed, delphinium, meadow parsnip and even a completely harmless-looking buttercup.

If you love wildflowers, remember that dangerous insects can enter your home with them. The most insidious are ticks, carriers of encephalitis, Lyme disease and other infections.

Before walking, treat clothes and shoes with a repellent, put on a hat, and upon returning home, inspect the skin. If you find a tick on your body, remember: you cannot pull off the insect. Try to remove the tick carefully, save it if possible and take it for research.

Be sure to consult a doctor and do a blood test in the laboratory: a comprehensive study will reveal Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis.

7. Sunburn

You can get burned to such an extent that you need medical attention. See a doctor right away if your skin blisters or if the burn is accompanied by nausea, confusion, headache, or chills. The same should be done if the available remedies, such as ointments with aloe vera or ibuprofen, do not work within two days.

Don't forget to use sunscreen. Ultraviolet light is useful in small doses, and too much UV light can lead to skin cancer.

Ruslan Ibragimov Specialist of the OkDoctor remote medical consultation service.

If you have fair skin, then the SPI of the sunscreen should be at least 20. If your skin is light and your hair is red, then at least 30. If you are dark, then 15 is enough.

Remember that the symptoms of a burn will not appear immediately, but after 12–20 hours. The skin is red, it hurts to touch it, the head hurts, the temperature may rise. We start helping ourselves.

Cooling. Compresses with furacilin or chlorhexidine are suitable. If these drugs are not available, make lotions with plain water, tea, potato juice or aloe.
Moisturizing. After cooling, the skin must be moisturized, otherwise it will dry out and become even more inflamed. There are many dexpanthenol medications in the pharmacy that can help. Grandma's means - kefir, sour cream, milk - also do an excellent job.
Anesthesia. Your medicine cabinet should have aspirin, paracetamol, or ibuprofen. These medications can help you relieve pain and lower your fever.

If all measures are taken, but it does not become easier, and blisters and ulcers appear on the skin, then an urgent need to consult a doctor.

With just a little foresight, all these troubles can be avoided. Summer is already short. There is no need to waste it on correcting the consequences of your own negligence.