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Published on: July 17, 2020
Paediatric injuries due to home treadmill use: an emerging problem
P Lohana1, S Hemington-Gorse, C Thomas
1Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK. lohana28@hotmail.co.uk
Insights
Treadmill injuries in children are a growing concern, with most hand injuries occurring at home. These preventable burns often require surgery but typically result in good functional outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric burn injuries
- Home exercise equipment safety
Background:
- Increasing popularity of home exercise equipment, particularly treadmills.
- Emerging problem of treadmill-related injuries in children.
- Lack of previous reporting on such injuries in the UK.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present experience with treadmill-related injuries in children.
- To highlight the importance of recognizing and preventing these injuries.
- To promote public awareness regarding treadmill safety for children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records from two regional burn units.
- Inclusion criteria: children with treadmill-related injuries (July 2003 - July 2009).
- Data collected: demographics, injury mechanism, management, surgical intervention, and outcomes.
Main Results:
- Twenty-nine children (mean age 3.8 years) sustained treadmill injuries.
- All injuries occurred at home, often involving hands trapped under the belt during adult use.
- 97% of injuries were to the upper limb, with deep burns common; 58% required surgery, and 5 developed hypertrophic scars.
Conclusions:
- Treadmills present a significant, preventable danger to children.
- Urgent need for regulatory authorities, manufacturers, and parents to implement preventative measures.
- Emphasis on public awareness to mitigate this emerging health issue.
Introduction:
The use of home exercise equipment is increasing and treadmills are becoming more popular. This has brought with it an emerging but preventable problem. We present our experience, highlight the importance and promote public awareness of this type of injury. To our knowledge this has not been reported previously in the UK.
Methods:
A retrospective review was conducted of the medical records at two regional burn units of children who sustained treadmill-related injuries between July 2003 and July 2009. Data on patient demographics, mechanism of injury, management, surgical intervention and outcome were recorded.
Results:
Twenty-nine children (15 boys, 14 girls) sustained treadmill-related injuries. The mean age was 3.8 years (range: 1-13 years). All injuries occurred at home and the majority of children trapped their hand under the running belt when an adult was using the machine. Most of the injuries were to the upper limb (97%) with less than 1% of the total body surface area burnt. More than two-thirds of patients had deep burns and 17 (58%) required surgical intervention. Five patients developed hypertrophic scars. All patients achieved a good functional outcome.
Conclusions:
Treadmills can pose a significant danger to children. These injuries are preventable. Regulatory authorities, manufacturers and parents should take steps to prevent this emerging health problem.
