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Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery
Published in: Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery 6/2012

01-06-2012 | Orthopaedic Surgery

The epidemiology of knee injuries in children and adolescents

Authors: T. Kraus, M. Švehlík, G. Singer, J. Schalamon, E. Zwick, W. Linhart

Published in: Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery | Issue 6/2012

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Abstract

Background

Injuries in childhood and adolescence are frequent and the knee is one of the most common sites of injuries. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiology, gender distribution, age, and circumstances of knee injuries in childhood at a Level I Trauma Center in Austria.

Methods

All pediatric and adolescent trauma patients who presented in a 2-year period were recorded. Children managed with knee injuries were selected prospectively. Patients were divided into five age groups: infants (younger than 1 year); pre-school aged children (1–6 years); pre-pubertal school-aged children (7–10 years); early adolescent patients (11–14 years); and late adolescent patients (15–18 years). Five diagnosis-related groups were formed: extraarticular soft tissue injuries, intraarticular soft tissue injuries, patella disorders, fractures, and overload injuries.

Results

The study included 23,832 patients up to the age of 18 years, who presented with 1,199 knee injuries. There was a male predominance (m:f = 58,6%:41.4%). Boys had a lower mean age at presentation (11.9 years) as girls (12.3 years). The most common accident sites were outdoors (34.8%) and sports facilities (32.8%). Leading injury mechanisms were falls on level surfaces (58.1%) and traffic accidents (13.4%). The number of knee injuries and its severity increased with age. Knee injuries did not occur in infants. In general, extraarticular soft-tissue injuries were most common and fractures were rare.

Conclusion

Knee injuries in children and adolescents are rare and extraarticular soft-tissue injury is the most frequent type of knee trauma. The number of knee injuries and its severity increases with age with a male predominance. Sports facilities and traffic injuries are important scenes of knee trauma. Mechanisms and patterns evaluated in this study can serve as the basis for knee-injury prevention efforts in children and adolescents and may be used for necessary precautions.
Level of evidence: IV
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Metadata
Title
The epidemiology of knee injuries in children and adolescents
Authors
T. Kraus
M. Švehlík
G. Singer
J. Schalamon
E. Zwick
W. Linhart
Publication date
01-06-2012
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery / Issue 6/2012
Print ISSN: 0936-8051
Electronic ISSN: 1434-3916
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-012-1480-0

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