By Derek F. Ipsen, DO, Hand Surgeon, St. Luke’s Clinic – Sun Valley Sports Medicine
As the cold weather and snow begins to descend upon the Valley, most of us are thinking about winter preparation—blowing out our sprinkler systems, making sure the furnace is working and the filters are clean, and digging out those cold-weather clothes. At the top of the list should be snowblower maintenance. That handy piece of machinery can turn an all-day shoveling slog into a quick and satisfying pleasure—that’s if you don’t end up in the Emergency Department at the local hospital with a serious injury to your hand or hands.
Every year thousands of people end up in the Emergency Department with minor and severe hand injuries due to snowblowers. The most common accidents involve cleaning heavy snow out of the fan when it becomes plugged. A common misconception is that a snowblower is safe if the gear drive is not engaged or if the motor is completely off. This is a misconception because the fan on most models has a spring built in to prevent shearing pins every time the blower gets plugged. Once the snow is cleared, the fan that is under tension will spring forward much faster than any human can move and it will injure anything that is in its path. Usually that is a fingertip, but it can be much more severe.
Snowblowers almost always come with a cleanout device. Please ALWAYS use this device and not your hand. If you have lost this device, then find something other than your hand to replace it. Unlike a lizard’s tail, fingers do not grow back and, due to the high concentration of nerve endings in the area, finger and hand injuries can be quite painful.
Don’t risk your hands just to save a few seconds.
Dr. Ipsen is located at St. Luke’s Clinic – Sun Valley Sports Medicine, 100 Hospital Drive, Physician Office Annex, Suite 105. Call to make an appointment, (208) 726-5027.