Falls from height

Trauma injuries are the leading cause of accidents and deaths in children, adolescents, and adults up to age 40. Among them, falls from heights represent the second leading cause of death after traffic accidents.

A fall from a height is one that the human body suffers from a height that exceeds its own height. In children under 2 years of age we are talking about approximately one meter and 2 meters for those who are above that age.

The basic laws of physics influence the nature and severity of fall trauma: Impact velocity is related to the height of the fall. It is this speed that determines the energy absorbed by the body at the moment of impact. From the above, it can be deduced that the greater the height of the fall, the greater the speed experienced by the falling body and the greater the kinetic energy that will be absorbed when contacting the impact surface and, therefore, the greater the bodily harm. Another determinant of damage is the mass of the falling body. The greater the weight of the subject, the greater the weight of the subject. The surface where the impact occurs must also be considered. Thus sand, mud or grass will prolong the time of the impact, they will cushion it thus reducing the damage. All this explains the different degrees of severity of trauma among people who suffer the same impact.

Child's psychomotor development

The child's psychomotor development in the acquisition of standing is not correlated with his intellectual ability to perceive the risk of height, hence it is not surprising that falls from height have an incidence in children under 5 years and a peak at 2 years.

Young children have a head proportionally larger than their body. Therefore, in the event of a fall, the centre of gravity shifts towards the fall, making it the part of the body most prone to injury at height5 . This explains the high frequency of skull fractures in falls from even less elevated heights. In children over the age of 3, especially those caused in park or garden games (hammocks, slides), injuries more often involve upper and lower limbs as there is a tendency to straighten during the fall, supporting arms and legs the blow. Children over the age of 10, like adults, tend to fall standing from the same heights, causing the impact to be transmitted to the lower limbs, pelvis and spine with the corresponding injuries.

Falls from elevated heights such as balconies, windows or terraces cause serious injuries to various organs and often death. However, there are "miraculous" episodes that can only be explained through the physical laws described above.

It is common to think that a child at home is safe. However, the vast majority of trauma and falls from heights occur in homes. Many times the confidence in thinking that the children are "inside" motivates that they are not controlled correctly. It is also not common to think if the home has sufficient safety measures to avoid this type of accidents, if the balconies and stairs are conveniently secured, if the windows have protection and cannot be opened, etc..

Statistics show that most children who have fallen from a balcony or window were not alone at the time of the fact. Parents or family members generally cannot understand how the accident happened once it happened.

Falls from heights in the home don't just happen from balconies or windows. Even more frequent are those produced from beds, especially seafarers or bunk beds. The danger is even greater since many times the accident occurs during sleep without giving the possibility of reacting to the imminent impact. Do not jump on any bed and adults should not promote acrobatic games on them. On the stairs there are also daily falls of children, some of them causing serious injuries.

More than accidents, falls from heights should be considered as foreseeable events. It has been shown that preventive measures at home, in recreational settings and in schools can produce good results, significantly reducing the frequency of these unfortunate events.

Having children in the home should not be left to "later" the installation of railings on stairs or balconies. Protections should always be placed to prevent children from appearing and falling into the void.

Children under the age of 6 should not sleep in the upper bunk beds. They must have well fixed railings and stairs. It is advisable in these cases that the surface of the floor is as soft as possible before the possibility of falls: parquet, carpet, etc.

If you need recommendations or help in orthopedic surgery and traumatology do not hesitate to contact me.