Cycling injuries requiring orthopaedic intervention during the first COVID-19 lockdown period: A multi-centre SCottish Orthopaedic Research collaborativE (SCORE) study

• Published in: The surgeon (Edinburgh) Vol. 20; no. 4; pp. 252 - 257
• Main Authors: Faulkner, Alastair, MacDonald, David R.W., Neilly, David W., Davies, Peter S.E., Ha, Taegyeong T., Stevenson, Iain M., Jariwala, Arpit C., Donoghue, Christopher J., Lee, Amanda, Bashyam, Jeswant, Greensmith, Thomas S., Macinnes, Alasdair, Pennington, Rachel, Sinnerton, Robert, Supparamaniam, Shreyas, Crome, Christopher R., Guiot, Luke, Harte, Collette, Kennedy, Matthew J., Noteman, Thomas W., Scicluna, Gabrielle, Wheelwright, Benjamin R.F., Torkington, Matthew S., Jamal, Bilal, Gill, Sarah L., Boddie, David E., Ashcroft, G. Patrick
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-08-2022; Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (Scottish charity number SC005317) and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Published by Elsevier Ltd
• Subjects: Coronavirus; COVID-19; Cycling injuries; Injury; Lockdown; Original; Orthopaedics; Sports injury; Trauma; COVID-19; Lockdown; Coronavirus; Injury; Sports injury; Cycling injuries; Trauma; Orthopaedics
• ISSN: 1479-666X; 2405-5840; 1479-666X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.surge.2021.05.003

The COVID-19 lockdown resulted in decreased vehicle use and an increased uptake in cycling. This study investigated the trends in cycling-related injuries requiring orthopaedic intervention during the COVID-19 lockdown period compared with similar time periods in 2018 and 2019.
Data were collected prospectively for patients in 2020 and collected retrospectively for 2019 and 2018, from hospitals within four NHS Scotland Health Boards encompassing three major trauma centres. All patients who sustained an injury as a result of cycling requiring orthopaedic intervention were included. Patient age, sex, mechanism of injury, diagnosis and treatment outcome from electronic patient records.
Number of injuries requiring surgery 2020: 77 (mean age/years – 42.7); 2019: 47 (mean age/years - 42.7); 2018: 32 (mean age/years – 31.3). Overall incidence of cycling injuries 2020: 6.7%; 2019: 3.0%; 2018: 2.1%. Commonest mechanism of injury: fall from bike 2020 n = 54 (70.1%); 2019 n = 41 (65.1%); 2018 n = 25 (67.6%). Commonest injury type: fracture 2020 n = 68 (79.1%); 2019 n = 33 (70.2%); 2018 n = 20 (62.5%). Commonest areas affected: Upper extremity: 2020 n = 45 (58.5%); 2019 n = 25 (53.2%); 2018 n = 25 (78.1%). Lower extremity: 2020 n = 23 (29.9%); 2019 n = 14 (29.7%); 2018 n = 7 (21.8%).
A significant increase in the number of cycling related injuries requiring orthopaedic intervention, a greater proportion of female cyclists and an older mean age of patients affected was observed during the COVID-19 lockdown period compared with previous years. The most common types of injury were fractures followed by lacerations and fracture-dislocations. The upper extremity was the commonest area affected.
•Incidence of cycling injuries increased between 2018 and 2020.•More female cyclists were injured in the first lockdown in 2020 compared with 2019.•Older cyclists sustained more injuries in 2020 compared with previous years.•Lacerations and fracture-dislocations were the commonest types of injury observed.•Upper extremity injuries were the commonest areas affected from cycling.