Diving Injuries

A Report in the Journal of Pediatrics

Printed in the Daily Herald 8/11/08

 

            This was the first National study conducted on Diving Injuries. The following are the findings.

·        About 6,500 children are treated for diving related injuries in the ER each year.

·        Youngsters ages 10 to 14 are at greatest risk, and boys are twice as likely to be taken to the hospital as girls.

·        Most kids are hurt while doing flips or back flips off the diving board.

·        8 out of 10 injuries happen from a height of about 3 feet or less.

Suggestions in the article.

·        If your kids want to do flips enroll in a diving program taught by a qualified instructor first.

·        Never allow your child to dive from the pool edge.

·        Always check the water depth.

·        Only dive if there is a lifeguard on duty.

 

Impact on the Sport?

 

            From what was printed in this article, there is no mention of any catastrophic injuries. Hitting the board, side of the pool, pool bottom and behavior seem to be the main causes for injury. It has always been known that boys are more daring than girls, which results in more injuries to boys. Injuries from a board of about 3 feet high or less may bring some questions to mind.

            Actual competitive equipment is one meter or 39 inches high. That is more than 3 feet (36 inches) high. A 3-inch difference is not worth arguing. However the less is. The boards mentioned are in neighborhood pools but doesn’t specify apartment complexes, residential or municipal pools. It would be nice to know the type of pool these injuries are occurring.

            Injuries do happen in sports as well as recreational activities. The Diving community must take note and be aware of how these injuries will be interpreted in the future. These are diving injuries but they are unrelated to the sport.

woras.geo@yahoo.com
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