Spring-like weather has provided ideal conditions for joint surgery recovery, according to Dr. Mark Spangehl, a local orthopedic surgeon.
He says doctors often prescribe physical activity to join replacement patients and that can be a lot easier when the weather is warm.
“The dry weather makes it just a little bit easier to walk outside and enjoy it and not get hot and sweaty and feel muggy like that when it’s very humid,” he said.
Additionally, he says when there’s no ice, there’s no risk of anyone slipping and potentially injuring themselves further.
“It would be nice to prescribe the weather but that’s not possible,” he said.
Spangehl said any part of the year is possibly for recovery, but springtime makes it a lot easier.
However, while the warm weather may be optimal conditions for walking, the slush it has left on the ground may not be.
Melissa Graham, executive director of the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities, says when sidewalk surfaces aren’t hard, they become a huge barrier, and people can get stuck.
“My (electric wheel)chair is about 500 pounds, so it sinks in that very easily,” Graham said. “When I sink in, it’s not that I’m a little bit stuck, it actually creates a rut really quickly, that can be quite difficult to get out of.”
Additionally, the slush poses a risk for seniors, according to Lisa Smyrichinsky, safety aid coordinator with A & O: Support Services for Older Adults.
“Not really knowing if the ground is firm underneath you can definitely be a fall hazard,” she said. “We do kind of lose our ability to balance the same way that we did when we were younger.”
Graham said a new campaign has emerged to show the city how important snow, slush, and ice removal are. It’s called Winnipeg S(NO)W Plow.
So while the warm weather creates an opportunity for people to go on longer walks without freezing or overheating, experts feel it may be better to wait until streets are cleared of winter debris.
— with files from Global’s Daisy Woelk