Epidemiological investigation of traumatic spinal cord injury caused by object strike in China: strategies for workplace safety improvement

Abstract

Objective: Being struck by an object is a major cause of traumatic spinal cord injury in China. This study aims to investigate epidemiological characteristics of spinal cord injury caused by object strike. Methods: This research analysed data from 435 cases of strike-induced spinal cord injury from 2013 to 2022. The collected information encompassed gender, age, level of neurological injury, surgical interventions, expense, occupation, and other relevant factors. χ2tests and Mann–Whitney U test were used with a statistical significance level of 0.05. Results: The male-to-female ratio was 11.8:1. The 30–44 age group was more likely to suffer from complete spinal cord injuries (70.5%). The predominant occupations were workers (58.9%) and farmers (15.2%). Manual labourers are usually injured in the workplace (89.4%) with a high surgical rate (95.3%). Conclusion: Young and middle-aged males engaged in manual work constitute the primary demographic for strike-induced spinal cord injury. Safety education in workplaces such as construction sites and mines should be emphasized to reduce the occurrence of spinal cord injuries caused by object strikes.

Keywords

• complications
• epidemiology
• occupations
• safety
• spinal cord injury
• workplace