Don’t Text and Walk!

We are all guilty of it. It’s hard to resist pulling out the phone when you hear the ping or chime of your notifications. It has also become our GPS tracker, to-do list, calendar, phonebook, camera, encyclopedia, and wallet – an all-in-one device so that you don’t even need to carry anything else around with you anymore.

So while we do not blame anyone for giving attention to a device that feels like another body part, we do caution against texting while doing other activities such as driving, and even walking. Yes, even while you walk! How many people have bumped into you because they were crossing a busy street while looking at their phones? What if a car came or there was a pothole that they didn’t see? This new habit of ours really does present many dangers, especially to our feet.

Some examples of dangers to our bodies include:

• Not seeing bumps or cracks in the walking surface (sidewalks and roads), making you trip or twist your ankle.
• Not noticing holes in the ground from burrowing animals, uncovered manholes, potholes, and even sinkholes, where you can misstep and either hurt your feet or fall in.
• Missing steps and spraining an ankle or taking a tumble down concrete.
• Stubbing your toes on rocks or large objects on the ground.
• Slipping in a puddle or on ice.
• Stepping on dog poop or pee (and then bringing it into your home – unhygienic!).
• Bumping into people (who might be having a bad day and want to fight you for being so “rude”).
• Not watching for pedestrian signals, and assuming that you have the right of way (don’t forget left turn signals that keep the pedestrian signal at “wait”).
• Being unaware of surroundings while watching and listening to your phone, which can lead to not hearing warnings or even predators that want to hurt or kidnap you. PLEASE ALWAYS BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS!

Your feet and ankles can really suffer a serious injury, even from something that seems as harmless as walking – if you’re not paying attention. There’s a reason why some towns even fine you for walking while texting, because it can put people at risk. Your notification can most likely wait. Otherwise just stop walking and take your time to respond to things. It’s not worth risking injury.

If you HAVE suffered an injury while walking, whether you were on the phone or not, use the RICE method right after the injury and then call us at Alamitos-Seal Beach Podiatry Group for the best treatment options. A sprained ankle or broken toe could need additional treatment like custom orthotics. Make an appointment today for individualized treatment options after a thorough assessment. One of our board-certified podiatrists, Dr. Douglas H. Richie, Dr. Jeremy L. Cook, Dr. Faye E. Izadi will be happy to help at either of our Seal Beach, CA and Los Alamitos, CA offices in Orange County.