Database study identifies common causes, types of fractures in children

Norwegian researchers analyzed fracture type incidence and fracture per exposure in sports and other activities and concluded distal radius fractures were the most common type of fracture seen in their institution in the pediatric population. Furthermore, they found snowboarding was the sport most associated with fractures.

“In our study we discovered that snowboarding caused four times more fractures per exposure time compared to other common childhood activities,” Per-Henrik Randsborg, MD, PhD, lead author from the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Akershus University Hospital, in Oslo, Norway, stated in a press release.

He added, “Furthermore, trampoline use did not seem to cause more fractures per hours of exposure than other popular childhood activities. In fact, handball and soccer had a higher risk of fractures than did trampoline use.”

There were 180.1 fractures per 10,000 patients under 16 years old admitted to the hospital between March 2010 and March 2011, according to the abstract.

Randsborg and colleagues identified 1,403 new fractures from patients admitted during that 1- year period and recorded 436 distal radius fractures.

Rates of sports-related fractures were calculated through fractures per 10,000 hours of exposure. The fracture rates the investigators identified were highest for snowboarding at 1.9, handball at 0.79, soccer at 0.44 and trampoline use at 0.35, according to the results.

“The findings will be useful in identifying which activities that should be targeted for further studies regarding the implementation of effective preventive measures, so that children might continue to be physically active while reducing the number of preventable injuries,” Randsborg said.

Reference:

Randsborg P-H. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2013; doi:10.2106/JBJS.L.00369.

Disclosure:This study was funded by grants from the Sophie Minde Foundation and Akershus University Hospital Strategic Research Fund.