Fall Injuries in Children

Fall Injuries in Children

Most people have fallen down at some point in their life. While the majority of falls are benign and people tend to get up as if nothing happened, some falls can be particularly dangerous. In recent years, falls have received a significant amount of attention from the medical community. According to Shellpoint, some of the statistics related to falls include:

• The risk of falling increases with age.
• About two-thirds of people who fall will do so again within the next six months.
• Among people older than the age of 65, those who fall have a high risk of suffering a hip fracture.
• Hip fractures can lead to death from complications such as blood clots, pulmonary emboli, and heart attacks.
• A severe fall can lead to difficulty with living independently.

While falls have been the focus of those who work with the elderly, it is important not to overlook the serious issue that falls can pose for children as well. As kids are growing up, they are still learning how to walk and run. This poses a significant fall risk, which could result in serious injuries. Furthermore, children also tend to be more active than their adult counterparts. This means that children have a higher risk of falling while playing sports, running, or engaging in other rigorous activities. According to a study published in Medicine:

• Falls represent one of the leading causes of trauma in children.
• Falls are one of the leading causes of emergency room visits for people between the ages of 0 and 18.
• In developed countries, falls represent one of the leading causes of disability in children.
• Falls represent about a quarter of all reasons why children seek medical attention.
• Numerous traumatic injuries can result from falls including spinal cord injuries, bone fractures, and traumatic brain injuries.
• Falls can lead to fractures, which represent between 10 and 25 percent of all pediatric injuries.

Clearly, falls represent a significant problem in children and warrant further investigation. A team of research professionals conducted a research study to take a closer look at falls in children.

A Research Study: Falls in Children

Recently published in the same Medicine journal mentioned above, a medical group went through charts of children who were admitted to their hospital. Over a period of ten years, they looked at charts for more than 1,400 patients between the ages of 0 and 18. During this period, these patients had more than 2,000 fractures. Some pertinent statistics from the study include:

• Close to 100 individuals sustained polytrauma, meaning that they had more than one fracture.
• The most common were wrist and humerus fractures, accounting for close to 60 percent of all of the fractures.
• About 30 percent of patients had femur or tibia fractures.

Furthermore, the researchers divided the fracture by falls from a low or high height. A fracture from a low height was a fall from under two meters, while a high height was a fall of greater than two meters. This is important because according to the study:

• The most common complication was a nerve injury, seen in 16 percent of patients.
• Other complications included infection and chronic pain.
• Some patients also had associated injuries to internal organs.
• Those who fell from a high height had a higher incidence of complications and associated injuries.

Falls pose a significant risk of injury in children of all ages. Tips for preventing falls include:

• Install gates near ledges and stairs if young children are in the home.
• Make sure children wear proper footwear while playing sports.
• Ensure that athletic surfaces are well-maintained.
• Try to prevent children from running in the home, mainly if the floors are made of hardwood.
• Try to remain in well-lit areas to avoid tripping over objects.

While children are prone to risk-taking behavior, collective efforts can prevent severe injuries in children. If injuries do befall them, meeting with a personal injury lawyer in Sacramento can be helpful.

Watch YouTube Video: Preventing Fall-Related Injuries. This short clip provides some basic tips on how to prevent your child from fall injuries.

Image Citation: The image at the start of this post can be found first on Pixabay. This image is printed on this page with permission under the CC0 License.
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