BATON ROUGE — It is important to make sure you are staying safe during frigid winter weather. This is particularly true when it comes to dealing with snow.

"Snow removal is actually pretty dangerous. Most commonly, we see people that strain their lower back while shoveling all the snow, mostly because snow is deceptively heavy. A lot of people choose to scoop and throw the snow when it may actually be a little bit safer to try and push it instead,” Carole Parsons, an emergency medicine specialist, said.

Experts say it is best to remove snow when it is still light and fresh and you can scoop smaller amounts at a time. Stretch beforehand and drink plenty of water.

If you notice any kind of pain or discomfort, you should stop immediately. Other typical injuries during the winter are people slipping and falling, hypothermia and frostbite.

"Frostbite is when your — typically your tips of your fingers and your toes freeze. It also commonly can be seen in your nose and your ears though. The ways to prevent this are by making sure that you are wearing warm apparel when out in the cold but also changing your apparel whenever they get wet,” Parsons said.

If you are going out in below-freezing temperatures, several layers of warm, loose clothing are recommended. If you are away from home, bring extra cold weather gear, such as extra socks, gloves, hats, jackets and blankets.