Winter with SCI: Keeping Warm and Active

Winter brings freezing temperatures, ice and snow – which have obvious dangers. But when you have a spinal cord injury, there’s lots to consider when the deep cold sets in. Your body deals with temperature differently after SCI, and staying active can have additional challenges when the weather changes. Here are some ways to get the most out of the winter months, while staying safe and warm.

After SCI, it’s Important to Stay Warm in Winter

The natural process that maintains internal core temperature is called thermoregulation – and after spinal cord injury, regulating your body temperature can be quite a counterintuitive affair.

The average internal body temperature is between 37°C and 37.8°C. It’s a very narrow range, and if we stray too far over or under it, our bodies stop functioning as normal. At the extremes, things can get dangerous.

At 35°C, we start to enter hypothermia – where the body shuts down. It can be very painful and can even lead to death. At internal body temperatures approaching 42°C, hyperthermia can set in, causing damage to the brain, heart, kidneys and muscles. It can even cause death.

The body usually responds to environmental temperature changes in several ways.

In the cold, muscles shiver, the thyroid gland increases your metabolism and blood vessels constrict, limiting flow to the extremities where heat can be lost.

In hot conditions, our bodies sweat. Blood vessels dilate, maximising blood flow to the surface of the skin, where the excess heat can escape as sweat evaporates.

After spinal cord injury, the signals that would trigger responses to heat and cold are interrupted and don’t reach the brain; this means that the body will rarely shiver or sweat below the level of injury, and by the time the brain has caught on to the drop or rise in temperature, it’s often too late.

Regulating your body temperature after SCI is extremely important. Getting too hot or too cold can trigger autonomic dysreflexia, which is life-threatening; be sure to watch for the signs.

How to Keep Warm in Winter After Spinal Cord Injury

During the winter, it can be tempting to use hot water bottles, heat pads and electric devices which can keep you warm; but care has to be taken if you have a complete injury or struggle to feel temperature, as these can cause serious burns. Several SCI people have had nasty experiences as a result, but there are plenty of other ways to maintain body temperature.

Invest in good clothing – the kind made for snow sports or outdoor treks. They can be expensive, but they’re designed for the most extreme cold, which is often how going through winter feels when you have an SCI.

Get some good socks and maybe fleece lined boots, like Uggs or an equivalent. Fleece lined trousers are a good option, and there are leggings that can be bought with fleece lining relatively cheaply.

Layer your clothing; base layers, woolly jumpers and thick fleeces will keep you warm but still allow you to move (which is a good way in itself of keeping warm!).

When it comes to coats and jackets, it’s worth looking at sports or active wear. They usually offer good insulation without sacrificing movement too much. Try to find a coat with a double zip – they’re easier to wear while sitting down and don’t bunch up.

If you have full feeling in your hands, you may find heated hand warmers useful. They can be put inside your gloves and the more you move, the warmer they stay.

Lastly, don’t forget to wear a good hat – it can really make a big difference!

Wheelchair Adaptations for Winter

Many wheelchair users find snow and ice difficult to navigate and prefer to avoid it. However, sometimes this is just not possible – but investing in some snow tyres can help.

Knobbly tread patterns provide better grip, but extra wide beach tyres are even better – they have so much surface area that they roll over the snow instead of cutting into it. Swapping tyres for indoors and outdoors can get old quite fast, though.

A relatively cheap, quick fix to get some grip on slushy and icy surfaces is to use zip ties. Wrap some plastic zip ties around your tyres at regular intervals, maybe set an inch or so apart. This isn’t a perfect solution, but it’s a helpful option to have.

If you use a hand-propelled wheelchair, get some waterproof, warm gloves that allow dexterity but also keep your hands warm. I have tried various gloves for snow sports, and I’m currently using Hestra gloves.

Staying Active with Winter Workouts

The temptation to stay in, get snuggled up and avoid activity is pretty strong at winter time – and while that’s perfectly fine for some days, it can be a bit miserable after a while. Staying active in winter is really important for physical and mental wellbeing.

If it’s icy, snowy or dangerously windy outside, then avoid venturing out for exercise – if it’s clam but cold, then dress appropriately with plenty of layers to remove as you warm up – and stay hydrated.

If you’re staying in but still want to exercise, try these effective wheelchair workouts with Ben Clark – AKA Adapt to Perform. Ben’s workouts can be adapted for many injury levels and are a great way to feel good, all year.

Support Through the Seasons

Raquel Siganporia is a Senior Solicitor and Director of Business Development at Aspire Law – the only law firm dedicated to helping people with spinal cord injuries. Not only do we support people through spinal cord injury compensation claims, but we work tirelessly to get the best possible outcomes for people with SCIs – regardless of whether they have a claim.

Contact Raquel free of charge and in confidence on 0800 030 20 40 or at Raquel.Siganporia@aspirelaw.co.uk.

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