Abstract

Background: Children are vulnerable to musculoskeletal
injuries both at home and on the street for various reasons.
Morbidity and disabilities resulting from these, mostly
preventable, injuries, make them a burden to their families
and society. The role of various factors associated with
injuries is often not documented.



Methods: This prospective, cross sectional study was done
on 80 children aged below 16 years with musculoskeletal
trauma, data were collected and analysis was done using
Microsoft excel and frequency table. The various modes
of injuries, place of injuries, pattern of injuries and regional
distribution of injuries were analyzed.



Results: One in every four to five patient was a child below
16 years of age. Boys were injured more than girls. Injuries,
especially fractures, were most common in the extremities,
the upper limb more commonly injured than the lower limb.
Most of the injuries occurred at home. The most common
mode of injuries was falls that happened while playing
both within and outside the home, followed by road traffic
accidents. Most injuries occurred during daytime.



Conclusions: Many injuries in children were found to be
preventable. Small interventions and modification while
constructing homes and surroundings can contribute
tremendously to injury prevention and control in children.
Parental awareness about the various modes of injury, role
of supervised playing and their responsibility towards injury
prevention can play a key role in reducing the morbidity
associated with childhood fractures.

Keywords: Children, Fracture, Injuries, Orthopaedics, Spectrum