Pediatric Treadmill Burns: Assessing the effectiveness of prevention strategies

Legislative changes in 2008 in Australia mandated that all new treadmills display a warning sticker about the risk of friction burns in children. This was accompanied by a health promotion campaign advising of the risks of treadmills to children.

Analyses of pediatric burns data identified all cases of treadmill burns occurring between 2005 and 2014. The incidence of treadmill burns, associations with age and gender, characteristics of the burns and the adequacy of first aid provided immediately after the burn was examined.

There were 298 cases of treadmill burns over the 10-year period (3.5% of all pediatric burns). The incidence rose until the introduction of legislation and health promotion in 2008, and then declined over the remaining study period. The majority of treadmill burns in children were inflicted on the upper limbs (91%), and 93% involved the hands. Most burns were full thickness (62%, n=182) and 49% (n=148) required skin grafts. Approximately one-third of treadmill burns (35%, n=105) occurred while someone else was using the treadmill. In the vast majority of treadmill burn injuries (74%, n=223), there was either no first aid or inadequate first aid provided immediately after the injury.

A significant number of treadmill burns occur in children, and these often result in serious injuries that are not treated with appropriate first aid. A reduction in the incidence of these burns was associated with the introduction of legislation and health promotion targeted at child safety around treadmills.