ORIGINAL RESEARCH
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND AETIOLOGY OF HAND INJURIES IN PAEDIATRIC POPULATION
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1
Clinic of Orthopaedics, Traumatology and Hand Surgery for Children Department, Polish
Mother’s Memorial Hospital Research Institute, Poland
2
Orthopedic and Trauma Department, Veteran’s Memorial Teaching Hospital in Lodz,
Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
3
Clinic of Orthopaedics, Traumatology and Hand Surgery for Children Department, Polish
Mother’s Memorial Hospital Research Institute, Lodz, Poland
Submission date: 2021-11-12
Final revision date: 2022-07-08
Acceptance date: 2022-09-07
Publication date: 2025-11-26
Corresponding author
Katarzyna Kwas
Clinic of Orthopaedics, Traumatology and Hand Surgery for Children Department, Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital Research Institute,, Poland
Issue Rehabil. Orthop. Neurophysiol. Sport Promot. 2022;40(3):7-15
KEYWORDS
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ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Understanding the incidence and causality of paediatric hand injuries may be vital in injury
prevention, training and treatment priority. However, few papers have addressed this subject.
Aim:
The aim of the study was to identify the epidemiology and cause of hand injuries in the
paediatric population.
Material and Methods:
The study group in the retrospective study included 291 patients (74 female, 271 male) aged
1–18 years old (mean age = 12.2; SD = 4.5). The cause of injury and diagnosis were taken from
the hospital database. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was obtained.
Results:
Data on the type of injury was collected and divided into nine groups, seven of which were
used in the analysis: 5.2% were dislocations, 8.9% open fractures, 42.6% closed fractures,
12.7% isolated tendon injuries, 18.3% multiple tendon injuries, 4.8% subamputations and
15.4% amputations. Also, 54.5% of all injuries concerned the right upper limb, 45.4% the left, and 0.01% both upper limbs. Sex did not influence the injury incidence. However, age influenced the occurrence of closed fractures (mean age = 9.8; SD = 5.6; p < 0.02), isolated tendon injuries (mean age = 13.3; SD = 4.5; p < 0.04) and amputations (mean age = 10.5; SD = 4.9; p < 0.007). The main causes were sport training (29.8%), agricultural machine accidents (15.3%) and contact with sharp objects (14.5%).
Conclusions:
Our current results show clear age-based trends in the epidemiology and causation of certain
hand injuries in the paediatric population. These should be taken into account in special
prevention programs.