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. 2023 Oct;82(10):232-239.

Decreasing Trend in Upper Extremity Surfing Injuries Presenting to United States Emergency Departments - A 20-Year Analysis

Kyle K Obana  1 , Morgan E Hasegawa  2 , John D Mueller  3 , Julian B Rimm  1 , Dane R G Lind  4 , Alexander N Berk  5   6 , Bryan M Saltzman  5   6 , Robert L Parisien  7 , David P Trofa  3 , Lorrin S K Lee  2
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Decreasing Trend in Upper Extremity Surfing Injuries Presenting to United States Emergency Departments - A 20-Year Analysis

Kyle K Obana et al. Hawaii J Health Soc Welf. 2023 Oct.

Abstract

Surfing is a globally popular recreational sport with limited epidemiologic data. Currently, there is a paucity of literature regarding injury profiles and mechanisms of orthopaedic-related injuries. This study analyzed trends, etiologies, and diagnoses of upper extremity orthopaedic-related surfing injuries presenting to United States (US) emergency departments. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database was accessed to query upper extremity surfing-related injuries presenting to US emergency departments from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2021. Data were analyzed for year, body part, mechanism of injury, diagnosis, and disposition. National estimates were calculated based on the assigned statistical sample weight of each hospital. A total of 33 323 surfing-related injuries were included. The most common upper extremity body parts involved 15 169 shoulders (45.5%), 4220 fingers (12.7%), and 3753 hands (11.3%). The most common identifiable mechanisms of injuries were 7474 board-to-body (22.4%), 4188 impact with sand (12.6%), and 2639 impact with water (7.9%). Overuse constituted 7.2% of overall upper extremity injuries but 40% of strains. Only 2.2% of injuries required hospital admission. Between 2002 and 2021, there was a decreasing annual trend in upper extremity surfing-related injuries (P=.01). The decreasing trend in emergency department visits may be due to urgent care utilization and training for surfers and lifeguards to manage these injuries on-site, as the majority were minor given the small proportion requiring hospital admission. Chronic stress on rotator cuff and peri-scapular musculature while paddling in the prone position likely contributed to the large proportion of overuse injury.

Keywords: NEISS; Surfing; emergency department; ocean; orthopaedic; sports; sports medicine; trauma; upper extremity.

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Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors identify a conflict of interest.

Figures

None
Kyle K. Obana
Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow Chart of Included and Excluded NEISS Surfing Injuries by Sport Identified Within the Narrative NEISS = National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, NE = weighted national estimate The total NE may not add up perfectly due to rounding after calculations.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Upper Extremity Surfing Injury National Estimates by Year From 2002 to 2021
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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