MILWAUKEE — Between snow and blizzard conditions to frigid temperatures, it has been a week of winter weather in Wisconsin that many won’t soon forget.

Winter weather can bring with it a variety of health risks, including slips and falls, hypothermia and cardiac issues from shoveling snow. 

What You Need To Know

  • Winter weather can come with serious health risks

  • Ascension Wisconsin emergency rooms see an increase in patients during winter storms

  • Limiting time outside and exercising caution when walking can prevent falls

Dr. Chris Ford is an emergency medicine physician with Ascension Wisconsin, who regularly sees an increase in patients during winter weather events.

Particularly, he said they see a lot of heart attack patients due to shoveling.

“The reason why shoveling is so dangerous is because it’s not only a cardiovascular exercise, meaning that it gets up your heart rate, it’s also what we call an isometric exercise in which you are strenuously testing the muscles and getting that heart rate up to dangerous levels for patients who have heart conditions,” he said.

Ford said they recommend people with a history of heart attacks or heart failure avoid shoveling.

You can watch the interview above.

Related Stories