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Riding with parent increases risk of slide-related leg fractures in children
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CHICAGO — Injuries sustained by infants and toddlers on playground slides are most commonly observed in the lower extremities, which are significantly more prone to fracture when parents accompany children on the slide, according to a recent presentation at the AAP 2017 National Conference & Exhibition.
“The most common slide-related injury in children less than 6 years of age was a fracture, which occurred in over one-third of the patients,” Charles Jennissen, MD, from the University of Iowa Health Care, said in an interview with Infectious Diseases in Children. “Parents should be aware of the risk that a child’s foot can catch the side of a slide when going down on a person’s lap, and that the potential twisting force on the child’s lower extremity, exacerbated by the downward momentum of the much larger adult, may cause a fracture.”
To examine how slide-related injuries typically occur in young children, the researchers gathered data through the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System regarding slide injuries sustained by children 5 years or younger between 2002 and 2015. Jennissen and colleagues then sorted the cases by age and performed descriptive and comparative analyses.
Of the estimated 352,698 children aged younger than 6 years who were injured on playground slides, 59% were male. The age group with the highest number of injuries were between 12 and 23 months (22%), but substantial differences in injury rates, injury diagnosis and affected body part (P < .001) were observed based on the child’s sex and race within the age groups.
Fractures were most commonly observed in the age groups (36%), especially in the tibia; however, the researchers speculate that this number may be higher because of occult fractures. Of all injuries, lacerations were observed in 19%, and the most affected body parts were the lower extremities (26%). If children were younger, they were more likely to injure their lower extremities, especially if they were on a person’s lap (P < .001). In cases where a child was injured while riding a slide on a person’s lap, 94% involved the lower extremities, especially the tibia.
“Health care providers may want to recommend to parents that young children not go down a slide on another person’s lap,” Jennissen said in the interview. “Families should be counseled that if they elect to do so, extreme caution is necessary to avoid the child catching their foot on the slide’s surfaces.” — by Katherine Bortz
Reference:
Jennissen C, et al. The mechanism and injuries associated with playground slides in young children: Increased risk of lower extremity injuries with riding on laps. Presented at: The 2017 AAP National Conference & Exhibition; Sept. 16-19; Chicago.
Disclosure: Infectious Diseases in Children could not obtain disclosure information before publication.