Broken bones, skull fractures remain common cycling injuries, especially among adolescent boys: a 20-year review

More than a million children in the U.S. have broken bones while riding bicycles in the past 20 years, and most of them were boys between the ages of 10 and 15, according to research presented at the 2022 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exposition.

The authors of the paper, “Bicycling-Related Fractures in Children: A National Twenty-Year Analysis,” found that despite efforts to make roads more bike-friendly, more than 65,000 injuries resulted from crashes involving a car. About 85% of children who suffered skull fractures while cycling were not wearing helmets.

“The results of our study suggest that continued efforts to teach road safety and promote the use of helmets should be directed at all children, but additional efforts should be directed at the most affected populations, namely boys aged 10 to 15 “, said J. Todd R. Lawrence, MD, MD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Municipalities should continue to evaluate traffic patterns on local roads to improve children’s cycling safety.”

Researchers examined information from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database from 2001 to 2020 to identify patients 18 years of age or younger who presented to US emergency departments with bicycle-related fractures. They found an average of 50,975 fractures each year, with about 71% of patients being men. Only a small part of patients with skull fractures were wearing helmets; almost 87% of patients did not wear helmets at the time of the skull fracture.

While the number of fractures in children riding bicycles has decreased over the past two decades, the researchers noted an increase in fractures in 2020, which is consistent with the literature showing a significant increase in other injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic. This may be due to increased usage bicycles from stay-at-home orders and the cancellation of school and summer camps.

“Given the results of our study, we recommend targeting bicycle safety efforts to the most affected populations, primarily boys between the ages of 10 and 15,” said William Huffman, a medical student. “Traffic safety and helmet training for bicycle riders are paramount to the safety of children.”

Additional information:
Pediatric Fractures Associated with Bicycle Riding: A National Twenty-Year Analysis, American Academy of Pediatrics 2022 National Conference and Exposition.