At Feet First Foot Care Specialists, we’re beginning to hear a familiar sound here in Middlesex County—lawnmowers. Despite a chilly spring, the grass is greening up, and that means more of our patients will be engaging in that spring and summer maintenance task of mowing the lawn. Unfortunately, it also means emergency rooms will see a rise in mower related accidents—recent statistics show that on average, 80,000 people sustain a foot or other injury from a mower, and many of these are children.

Here are some reminders on how to mow safely.

Do: wear sturdy shoes. Never mow the lawn barefoot, and flip-flops are not acceptable! They are unstable, and your foot can easily slip out and into the blades of mower whirling at 3,000 revolutions per minute.

Don’t: let your child ride on the mower with you, no matter how much they beg. Each year countless tragic accidents and loss of toes, fingers, and limbs occur to children due to slipping off a running mower.

Do: keep children inside while you mow or if they are going to be outside, establish firm rules about not trying to talk to a parent who is mowing, or come anywhere near the area that is being mowed.

Do: pick up sticks and other debris in the yard before mowing. Many mowers will pick up small objects and shoot them out at high speed with the potential to cause harm to anyone nearby.

Don’t: attempt to add gasoline to a power mower while it is running.

Do: wait until your lawn is completely dry before attempting to mow. Slipping and losing control on wet grass is the leading cause of foot injuries by power mowers.

Do: use a mower that has an automatic release mechanism that shuts the mower off if your hands let go.

If you do sustain an injury, even a minor cut from a blade, stop and clean the wound immediately. If you have concerns about the injury, contact our Cromwell office by calling (860) 632-5499 so that our podiatrist, Dr. Adam Mucinskas, can examine your foot.

Questions or Comments?

We encourage you to contact us whenever you have an interest or concern about our services.

Call Today (860) 632-5499

162 West St Ste K Cromwell, CT 06416