Consumer Alert - Treadmills pose a danger to children

Laura Mackie

Contributor

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Health conscious parents beware, especially if your health routine includes using a treadmill. A retrospective study was performed by the Shriners hospital in Sacramento California (covering the years 1998 to 2002) which dealt with the characteristics and treatment of treadmill related burn injuries in children. Ten patients sustained injuries associated with treadmill use. Their average age was just over 3 and their injuries involved trapping of the hand between the conveyor belt and the base. A child's hand can get trapped in the conveyor belt, causing friction burns to the underlying tissue. The children received burn injuries predominantly on their fingers and palms. Four patients required operative intervention. The children all required specialized wound care as well as scar management and occupational therapy.

Obviously, current safety devices are ineffective for preventing serious hand injuries in children. New design modifications and public awareness are needed to improve child safety.