Playing, romping and sometimes falling: many of them suffered one or more broken bones in their childhood. But mostly it happens at home.
Children have an enormous urge to move. They play wildly with their friends, romp around at school or climb up trees. Injuries and, unfortunately, broken bones are inevitable in some cases. Adults can also sing a song about this, many of them have already broken an arm or a leg in their childhood. But contrary to popular belief, most breakups happen within your own four walls.
Broken bones in children: Falling from a bunk bed in children under the age of six is the most common reason
A new study in the journal medicine has found that the most common reason for a fracture is falling from a loft bed. This particularly affects children under the age of six. During this time, especially when there are several siblings, a Loft bed a space-saving option in the children’s room. Bunk beds have therefore always been popular, but they can also be one pose a danger to the little ones. This is especially true for those who sleep upstairs or when the children fight or play in the upper bunk.
According to the study, hospitals should increasing cases of children report who have fallen from a loft bed. In the USA alone, around 23,000 children up to the age of nine are said to be treated every year for this reason. Employees of the clinic and polyclinic for pediatric surgery and radiology in Leipzig have now evaluated their specific case numbers according to paradigms such as age groups and type and location of the fractures. To do this, the researchers analyzed medical records of underage patients between January 2014 and December 2021, including 162 patients, mostly boys with an average age of five years.
Broken bones in children: From the age of ten it becomes less likely
The result of the study: falling out of bed was the most common reason for injuries (82.7 percent), followed by injuries from falling off the ladder (8.6 percent) or jumping from the bunk bed (8.6 percent). In addition to broken bones, which accounted for the majority, there were also many cases of bruises and abrasions.
The interesting thing is that the proportion of fractures was highest in the age group of children from six to nine years. From the age of ten, on the other hand, fractures become less likely, says study leader Martin Lacher, director of the clinic and polyclinic for pediatric surgery at the University Hospital Leipzig, summarizing the results. The most common fractures reported were:
- Forearm fractures (42.5 percent)
- Collarbone fractures (16.3 percent)
- Upper arm fractures (12.5 percent)
- broken feet (10.0 percent)
- Hand fractures (6.3 percent)
- Lower leg fractures (6.3 percent)
- Skull fractures (6.3 percent)
But there is good news: those patients who had head injuries reportedly showed no neurological problems or deficits during the hospital stay and during follow-up after discharge.