Fall on the bicycle handlebar injures organs

A fall on the bicycle handlebars can severely injure organs: Parents should definitely visit a doctor with their child after an accident.

Typical accidents involving children are falls on the handlebars of bicycles, scooters or a collision with objects in traffic. Such accidents can lead to severe injuries within the abdominal regions and body cavities. For this reason, parents should not hesitate and introduce their child to the doctor after such an accident. Because the consequences are not always identifiable and make themselves apparent much later, for example, by severe abdominal pain, as the professional association of pediatricians (BVKJ) announced in Cologne.

Children are inexperienced in many areas and therefore take higher risks. It always comes back to serious accidents. A typical accident is the fall on and over the bicycle handlebars. If such an accident occurs, it is advisable to consult a doctor. "Even if a child does not show any symptoms at first, parents should always have these accidents clarified," advises Ulrich Fegeler from the Professional Association of Paediatricians. It could even make sense to have the injured child monitored in a hospital, as the association spokesman stresses. Because it could form a bruise in an organ that bursts only after a few hours and leads to cracks in the organ capsules. This can then cause internal bleeding in the abdominal cavity. This time delay causes acute abdominal pain due to bruises and injuries to the internal organs much later. Any kind of heavy impact from hoofbeats of horses, kicks, falls from higher altitudes, such as a bouncy castle, or similar accidents can severely injure the abdominal organs. Possible organs that can be affected are the stomach, spleen, testes, small intestine and urinary tract. If the organs are injured, a surgical procedure can result.

An abdominal injury does not always have to be the result of an accident. However, such injuries occur in about 2 to 5 percent of children's accidents. Around 90 percent are through „blunt violence“ he follows. Road accidents, sports accidents and injuries while playing are the most common causes. "In children, the upper abdominal organs take up more space in relation to their height than in adults," explains Fegeler. The distance between the organs and the abdominal wall is much lower, since not enough muscle and fat have formed. "This can cause collisions with objects faster damage in adolescents," said the expert.

To reduce the serious consequences of a children's accident, the handlebars of children's bicycles should have a large diameter. In addition, the handlebar fork and the handle ends should have reasonable crumple zones. As a result, a possible impact can be mitigated and the pressure distributed. (sb, 14.10.2010)

Also read:
Naturopathy relieves abdominal pain of children

Picture credits: Hanspeter Bolliger