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Published on: September 25, 2014
Morbidity associated with golf-related injuries among children: findings from a pediatric trauma center
Melissa A Vitale1, Kristen J Mertz, Barbara Gaines
1Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA. melissa.vitale@chp.edu
Objective:
To describe injuries due to golf-related activities among pediatric patients requiring hospital admission.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective analysis of all sports-related injuries from 2000 to 2006 using a level 1 trauma center database.
Results:
Of 1005 children admitted with sports-related injuries, 60 (6%) had golf-related injuries. The mean injury severity score was significantly higher for golf-related injuries (11.0) than that for all other sports-related injuries (6.8). Most golf-related injuries occurred in children younger than 12 years (80%), at home (48%), and by a strike from a club (57%) and resulted in trauma to the head or neck (68%).
Conclusions:
Golf-related injuries, although an infrequent cause of sports-related injuries, have the potential to result in severe injuries, especially in younger children. Preventive efforts should target use of golf clubs by younger children in the home setting.
