Age and Sex Are Strongly Correlated to the Rate and Type of Mountain Injuries Requiring Search and Rescue Missions.

INTRODUCTION: Because of the growing popularity of mountain tourism, the number of injuries related to mountain activities has increased rapidly. The regional volunteer search and rescue team (Tatra mountain rescue team [MRT], Poland) anticipates future increases in injuries and accidents. METHODS: An analysis was performed on Tatra MRT incident reports for the years 2012 through 2013. These reports include information on the mechanism of injury, weather conditions, and demographic data of the injured tourists. The data were provided by the operation supervisor of each search and rescue mission. The study group consisted of 844 reports (median age 37 y, range 18-90 y). The analysis was designed to determine whether features such as age and sex of the injured tourist were correlated to the injury mechanisms (as identified by the rescuers) or their National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics-International Committee for Alpine Rescue (NACA ICAR) score. RESULTS: Our study of the Tatra MRT data revealed that age and sex are risk factors for the rate and severity of injuries in the mountain environment. Injured men were more likely to require resource-intensive search and rescue missions and usually had a worse NACA ICAR score (P=0.041). The age analysis showed that older people are more likely to sustain a serious injury (3-7 NACA ICAR score). However, the most common rescue scenario involved younger males (20-40 y) at a higher altitude (>1500 m, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Sex and age are associated with the mechanisms and severity of injuries in the mountain environment. They should be considered in the development of appropriate prevention and response programs. Further studies are needed to confirm the results.

[The causes of falls and injuries after falls in women over the age of 50 living alone in Krakow]. / Przyczyny upadków i urazów po upadkach u kobiet powyzej 50 roku zycia zyjacych samodzielnie w Krakowie.

INTRODUCTION: Falls are one of the most devastating health problems of elderly people. The identification of causes of falls helps to establish proper prevention strategies. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study was based on a group of community-dwelling, independent women aged over 50 years. The frequency of falls was calculated on the basis of a retrospective analysis of 1326 cases. 100 women were chosen for a telephone questionnaire to identify causes and consequences of falls. The average age was 63.9 (SD 8.6) and the average BMI was 27.6 (SD 5.4). RESULTS: Approximately 31% of 1326 women reported at least one fall a year. In the year preceding the questionnaire 62% of the participants reported one fall, 26%--two falls, 8%--three falls and 5%--four and more falls. In the surveyed group of 100 women 72% of falls occurred outdoors, which is 2.5 times more often than at home (28%). 68% of falls occurred between 12 pm and 6 pm. Summer is the season of the highest occurrence of falls (37%). In winter, the frequency of outdoor falls increases, whereas during summer the frequency of falls happening in and outdoors does not differ. The most frequent cause of falls, both in and outdoors, was slipping. Other important risk factors include: hypnotic drugs, walking impairments, balance deficit, vertigo, analgesics. Most of the falls had various intrinsic and extrinsic causes. KEY POINTS: We found that 30% of women aged over 50 years falls at least once a year. Both at home and outside falls resulted from slipping. For almost 80% of falls as a consequence of an injury. The majority of falls had intrinsic and extrinsic origins.

Disbalance and fatigue of the spinal extensors as one of the causes of the overload disease of the lumbar spine.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to find out whether among young active people - the future healthcare professionals - there is a risk of developing lumbar spine overload disease depending on the occurrence of the disbalance of paravertebral muscles and to assess the fatigue of the examined muscles depending on the body position during the work. METHODS: The study involved 50 randomly selected students of physiotherapy and emergency medical services of a mean age of 21 years. The surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to measure the activity level of spinal extensors of the cervical and lumbar spine. The statistical analysis of the results was made using the RStudio software. RESULTS: Study shows that the majority of the examined students had a slight asymmetry between the bioelectric activity of the right- and left-side dorsal extensor bands, both in the cervical and lumbar sections (right side 118.6 Hz / left side 115.7 Hz / extension and 98.6 Hz / 95.5 Hz /flexion). Depending on the position, significant fatigue in the examined muscles was found (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The experiment showed a slight disbalance in the average bioelectromyographic activity in the area of spinal extensors during their symmetrical work. This can be the basis for the development of the overload disease in the weaker muscle parts, which generate more fatigue during the activity. It is worth to carry out similar tests in a much greater group, taking the longer-lasting muscular effort into account.