Today's News

Saturday, February 15, 1997

Watertubing interest, injuries increase

Young people might think it is a harmless summer sport, but watertubing is becoming an increasingly dangerous activity, according to poster exhibit B039 displayed on Friday.

Orthopaedic surgeons from Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario analyzed the medical records of its pediatric trauma center over a six-year period, and found eight children (five males and three females ranging in age from 10 to 17 years old) had been admitted to their hospital for injuries sustained while watertubing.

Watertubing has become a popular summertime activity especially among children. It is similar to waterskiing, but the participant sits on a rubber inner tube pulled by a power boat.

"Since 1989, we found at least one admission to the hospital was made every summer," said study author Merv Letts, MD, chairman, department of surgery, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Canada. "And we are predicting a yearly increase if individuals do not properly educate themselves about the activity."

Since 1990, 51 Canadians have been injured while watertubing, according to the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program of Health Canada. During the same time frame, 100 individuals were injured while watertubing in the U.S., according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The study authors also determined that at least two deaths have occurred because of the recreational activity.

"The injuries sustained by the children in our study were very serious, and each one of them could have been prevented," Dr. Letts said. "If the child or boat driver had known some basic safety rules, each injury might have never occurred."

After reviewing the children's medical records, Dr. Letts and his colleagues reported two children were injured because they struck a floating dock. The other children in the study were injured because they had hit a submerged rock; struck shallow water; been thrown from the inner tube; and became entangled in the tow rope.

Additional injuries sustained by the children were caused when the inner tube exploded or the tow rope had broken apart.

Each of the children experienced serious fractures, and required surgical intervention, Dr. Letts said.

"We decided that the severity of the injuries warranted the development of some safety guidelines for the sport," Dr. Letts said.

The safety tips developed by Dr. Letts and his colleagues include:

• The driver of the power boat should be knowledgeable of the shoreline and shallow areas in a lake where the inner tube is being pulled. The driver also must be aware of any obstructions in the water.
• Two people should always be in the boat-the driver and another individual who acts as a spotter for the inner tube rider and regulates the rope length from boat to inner tube.
• Always check the rope for any fraying to avoid the risk of it breaking apart.
• Check the inner tube for defects.
• The person riding in the inner tube should always wear a life jacket.

"This study also suggests that the sport of water skiing might actually be safer because the skier has more control than the person using an inner tube," Dr. Letts said.

Co-author of the study along with Dr. Letts is Prem Parmar, MD, department of surgery, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario.