Shovelling snow 'can result in spinal injury'RSS Feed

Shovelling snow can sometimes be a health hazard and causes thousands of spinal injuries, heart problems and fractures each year, according to new findings.

A study, published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, found that the winter chore results in an average of over 11,000 individuals to hospital in the US each year.

The research, which looked at 17 years of data, revealed that muscle, tendon, ligament and other soft tissue injuries were at the top of the list, with lower spinal injury found to be common.

Additionally, heart-related problems made up seven per cent of the shovelling injuries, with all deaths due to the activity caused by these.

Meanwhile, researchers from Spine Midwest in Jefferson City, Missouri, have said that older people should not be denied spinal injury surgery when minimally invasive procedures are applicable.

The team investigated the safety of two lumbar interbody fusion procedures in octogenarians and found that minimally invasive treatment resulted in fewer complications, blood loss/transfusion rates and hospital stays.

News from Serious Law, specialist spinal injury solicitors

Posted by Timothy Walters
 

Fusion 'should not be first choice after spinal injury'

21 January 2011

Spinal fusion should not be the first choice of treatment of spinal injury, according to one expert.Dr Kenneth Light of San Francisco says that spinal fusion should be seen as a last resort as the results...

Read More...

Stem cells may hold secret to multiple spinal injury repair

21 January 2011

Scientists may soon be able to repair multiple aspects of a spinal cord injury in humans, using adult stem cells.A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine study involving rats showed that use...

Read More...

Nose cells to help those with spinal injury?

20 January 2011

A new clinical trial which will inject cells from the nose into spinal injury patients is giving hope to those with debilitating conditions.Six individuals with spinal injury in New Zealand will have a...

Read More...