Neurosurgeons warn of spinal fractures, which are increasing in adults installed at the bow of boats during a sea trip.
- Thoracolumbar compression fractures are common on motorboat excursions.
- Women are more injured and the functional impact can be very significant, with a neurological impact found in 7.6% of patients.
- Passengers seated at the front of the boat are the main victims of this type of accident.
“Every summer, many vacationers enjoy the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Popular water activities include motorboat excursions, which lead to a significant number of thoracolumbar spine fractures in our clinic. This phenomenon seems to be underestimated and its mechanism of injury remains unclear.” This was reported by doctors from the Hospitals of Marseille in a recent study.
In this work, health professionals wanted to describe reported fractures and determine how they occur. For the purposes of the work, the practitioners examined the clinical, radiological and contextual parameters of all cases of spinal fractures linked to motorboat excursions over a period of 14 years (2006-2020) from data of three French neurosurgical centers bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
Thoracolumbar spine fractures: women are more affected than men
According to the data, 79 people presented with fractures. The authors observed that women were more likely to be injured than men, with an average age of around 45 years. “Most of the injuries (88.9%) involved the thoracolumbar hinge with vertebral compression fractures. Type A compression fractures were observed in all cases. A single case of injury to the posterior vertebral element was observed. The occurrence of a neurological deficit is rare (7.6%)”, can we read in the results published in the journal Journal of Clinical Medicine.
Patients are usually seated at the bow of the boat and “propelled in the air”
As part of the research, the team managed to contact 71 patients to find out the precise circumstances of each accident. In most cases, the injured people were seated at the front of the boat. “When the bow suddenly passed through an unexpected wave, it suddenly rose and the patients were propelled into the air. The shocks resulting from such situations can be particularly violent, and even more so if the victim does not did not anticipate at all”, explained the doctors in a statement.
They specified that these boater accidents have potentially serious consequences (sequelae, disability). “Prevention and safety recommendations should be given before the use of a motorboat in order to combat these avoidable fractures”, concluded the practitioners.
