Related Experiment Videos
Orthopaedic injuries in children associated with the use of off-road vehicles
1Section of Orthopaedics, University of Manitoba, Children's Hospital, Winnipeg.
Insights
Off-road vehicle accidents frequently cause serious musculoskeletal injuries in children, including fractures and growth-plate damage. Loss of control is the primary cause, highlighting the need for enhanced safety measures for young riders.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Orthopedics
- Trauma Surgery
- Public Health
Background:
- Musculoskeletal injuries in children are a significant concern.
- Off-road vehicles (ORVs) pose unique risks to young users.
- Data on the epidemiology of ORV-related pediatric injuries is crucial for prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the incidence and characteristics of pediatric musculoskeletal injuries from ORV use.
- To identify common injury types, contributing factors, and outcomes.
- To inform public health strategies for ORV safety in children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of pediatric patients admitted to acute-care hospitals in Manitoba.
- Data collection from April 1979 to August 1986.
- Inclusion of fatal accident data from the Chief Medical Examiner's records.
Main Results:
- 233 children sustained ORV-related musculoskeletal injuries; 21 fatal accidents occurred.
- Minibikes/dirtbikes, snowmobiles, and three-wheeled ATVs were most implicated.
- 73% of injuries occurred rurally; loss of control was the main cause.
- 352 fractures (53% displaced, 10% open) and 51 soft-tissue injuries were recorded.
- 186 associated injuries and 60 growth-plate injuries were noted.
Conclusions:
- ORV use results in a high burden of severe pediatric musculoskeletal injuries.
- The majority of injuries are preventable, often due to loss of vehicle control.
- Urgent need for targeted prevention strategies and safety education for ORV use by children.
Abstract:
Two hundred and thirty-three children who had musculoskeletal injuries related to the use of off-road vehicles were admitted to acute-care hospitals in the two largest urban centers in Manitoba between April 1979 and August 1986. There were 190 boys and forty-three girls, and the ages ranged from two to seventeen years. Ninety-three accidents involved the use of a minibike or dirtbike; seventy-two, a snowmobile; fifty-nine, a three-wheeled all-terrain vehicle; and nine, a four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle. The injuries in 73 per cent of the children occurred in a rural setting. The use of alcohol or a drug was recorded for only three children. Loss of control of the vehicle led to the majority of injuries. There were 352 fractures of an extremity or the spine and fifty-one major soft-tissue injuries of the musculoskeletal system; 186 (53 per cent) of the fractures were displaced, 107 (46 per cent) of the patients had more than one fracture, and thirty-four (10 per cent) of the fractures were open. There were sixty growth-plate injuries. A total of 186 associated injuries were present in ninety-one patients. In a separate review of the records of the Chief Medical Examiner, it was noted that twenty-one fatal accidents that were related to the use of off-road vehicles occurred in the Province of Manitoba during the same period of time.