Doctor: No treatment for frostbite
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Working in the cold for two hours when the temperature hovers around zero is enough for the first stages of frostbite to appear.
Dr Steven Wipprecht of IU Health said, “You will then start to see some skin changes, some discoloration, and then the pain will actually go away, which is actually the most dangerous part because you essentially fried the nerves. With the cold, it gets so bad that the nerve cells kind of die off and that is even worse because the injury keeps compounding without the symptons.”
Frostbite is a progressive injury. Once you have been biten by the cold, the next time is even worse. Eventually, the frostbiten areas of your body will have almost no tolerance to the cold.
“There is no treatment. Once there is damage, that damage becomes permanent. We try to limit the further damage, which is why it is important that people do come to the hospital,” the doctor said.
Cold weather injuries are most prevalent in the homeless population, cold-weather athletes and people required to work outside.
IMPD Patrolman John Wall frequently works outside and looks for ways to stay warm in cold weather. Wall rode his patrol bike voluntarily Monday. He said the department’s standard operating procedure does not require him to ride when the temperatures drops below 37 degrees.
“Keep moving. You burn up some energy,” the patrolman said. Get your body moving. You stay fine. There is no wind or anything today. Stay in the sun. Stay out of the shade. Keep moving and don’t stand still or lay down in the snow. You will be good.”