ArticleCanadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie
Are outdoor playgrounds the real culprit for elbow fractures in children? A lesson learned from COVID-19 sanitary measures.
Article in Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- A Pediatric Supracondylar Fracture with Bilateral (Medial and Lateral) Pillar Comminution-A Recommendation for a New Stable Pin Configuration for a Highly Unstable Fracture.Pediatric reports · 2026Article
- Complications and Outcomes of Surgically Treated Pediatric Supracondylar Humerus Fractures.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Influence of COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalisations at a paediatric traumatology department during 2020: a single-centre observational study and comprehensive literature review.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2024Observational
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
backgroundThe association between elbow fractures and outdoor playgrounds has always been anecdotal. We sought to determine the impact of closing outdoor playgrounds and other play areas during the COVID-19 lockdown on elbow fractures in a pediatric population.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of all elbow fractures from a single pediatric referral hospital between 2016 and 2020 for the months of April and May. The months chosen corresponded to the COVID-19 lockdown during which outdoor playgrounds were closed. Inclusion criteria were elbow fracture diagnosis based on radiography and age younger than 18 years. Fracture type, where the injury occurred and the mechanism of injury were recorded.
resultsA total of 370 fractures were reported, with an average of 83 (95% confidence interval [CI] 83-84) per year for 2016-19 and only 36 recorded in 2020. The average annual number of fractures before 2020 was 17 (95% CI 16-17) for schools, and 33 (95% CI 31-34) for outdoor playgrounds, including 22 (95% CI 21-24) falls from playground structures. No fracture was reported in schools in 2020, and only 3 were reported from outdoor playgrounds (including 1 associated with falling from playground structures).
conclusionWe found an association between elbow fractures in a pediatric population and outdoor playground accessibility, but also with indoor public locations. Our findings emphasize the importance of safety measures in those facilities.
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