Participating in winter sports is a great way to stay fit and have fun with your friends and family. Yet, skiing, sledding and ice skating account for thousands of emergency department visits a year. With a little common sense, and our winter safety guide, you can avoid many of the mishaps that lead to sprains, strains and fractures.

According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, winter sports injuries can be prevented by keeping in shape, staying alert, and stopping to rest when you feel tired. Keep these tips in mind, whether you are heading to the mountains for a weekend of skiing, or dropping your kids off at the local ice-skating rink.

We're starting to hear the dreaded word "snow" in the forecast. With snow comes its often hidden companion, ice. These weather conditions together can lead to slippery surfaces and make walking treacherous. 

Here's one way to stay safe and ward off the risk of falling on icy sidewalks, driveways and the like ... walk like a penguin!

Find out how in our handy video.

When we think of Halloween, we picture children laughing in colorful costumes, jack-o'-lanterns glowing in house windows, and buckets brimming with candy and treats.

Experts warn, however, that this fun-filled night can pose safety hazards.

An alternative is to throw a Halloween party and invite kids, rather than have them out on the street.

If your kids will be going door-to-door trick-or-treating, however, some precautions can make the evening safe and enjoyable for everyone.

Use this infographic and additional tips below as a guide for a safe and spooktacular Halloween.

There's a new law in Pennsylvania designed to ensure a safer ride for children.

All children must remain in a rear-facing car seat until they are 2 years old, or exceed the maximum height and weight limit. At that point, a forward-facing car seat is required until the child exceeds the height and weight limits. (Note: Do not place a child who is older than 2 in a forward-facing seat until he or she has reached the car seat manufacturer's maximum height and weight limits for a rear-facing seat.)

After children have outgrown their car seat, they are required to sit in a forward-facing booster seat until they are 4 feet, 9 inches tall.

Caption: Pokemon visitations at Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia.

Pokémon Go, a free smartphone game already downloaded 15 million times since its release on July 6, has a lot of people scouring the real world for battling creatures who up to this point have only inhabited the world of fantasy. And more than a few gamers have earned real-world battle scars of their own.

The Pokémon Go app allows smartphone users to find, catch and train the monsters—with names like Bulbasaur, Charmander, and the best-known, Pikachu. Where are the monsters? They’re everywhere. They pop up on your smartphone screen as you walk about, superimposed on a stylized map of the real world.

The game is incredibly involving—so involving that players are walking off curbs or into telephone poles (or worse) because they’re more focused on their smartphone screens than their surroundings. Reports of injuries, some serious, abound on social media and in the press—including a report of two men who fell off a cliff in California.

March is Brain Injury Awareness month, a perfect time to brush up on safety before pulling that new hoverboard out of the garage. Hoverboards, in case you missed the buzz, are a new type of electric scooter that can reach speeds of 12 miles per hour. Staying upright at that speed on a two-wheeled platform, especially for the novice rider, can be a bit of a challenge, adding to the fun—and the falls.

Participating in winter sports is a great way to stay fit and have fun with your friends and family. Yet, skiing, sledding and ice skating account for thousands of ER visits a year. With a little common sense, and our winter safety guide, you can avoid many of the mishaps that lead to sprains, strains and fractures.

According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, winter sports injuries can be prevented by keeping in shape, staying alert, and stopping to rest when you feel tired. Keep these tips in mind, whether you are heading to the mountains for a weekend of skiing, or dropping your kids off at the local ice-skating rink.

The cold weather is upon us and that means icy, slippery conditions and an increased risk of falling. For advice on avoiding dangerous spills, we turned to three MossRehab physical therapists – Ali El-Kerdi, PhD, DPT, Jennifer Gulla, DPT, and Stephanie Tornquist, DPT. Together, the three therapists recently created the MossRehab Community Falls and Injury Prevention Initiative.

Sledding Safety

• Wait until the storm is over- the temperatures will be more predictable and the visibility will be better.
• Sled in an open area, not a place with trees.
• Use a sled that you can steer: no tubes, saucers or toboggans. (College students, leave those trays in the cafeteria!)
• NEVER sled down a hill face-forward! This greatly increases your risk of injury.
• Only one person to a sled, unless it's an adult with a child under 5 years old.
• If you're on a sled that you cannot stop, roll off and quickly move out of the way.
• NEVER ride a sled being pulled by a moving vehicle!
• Adults, be present to supervise younger sledders.
• Dress warmly and in layers.

Shoveling Tips & Tricks

MossRehab's own, Melissa Meyers, OTD, OTR/L provided the following tips to keep yourself safe while moving snow around:

Shoveling can be a very aerobic and physically demanding task so there are several things that you can do to preserve your back and your heart.