Rope swings along waterways pose serious injury risks for girls
Rope swings hanging from trees along lakes and rivers are a popular recreation for children and teens, but they also pose a risk of severe genital injuries to girls. Moreover, the rural locations of most rope swings complicates providing high quality treatment.
Holly Hoefgen, MD , co-director of the Comprehensive Fertility Care and Preservation Program in the Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, led a case study review of rope swing injuries with a colleague at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Findings were published in February 2015 in the Journal of Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology.
The most commonly reported injuries associated with rope swings are finger fractures, lower extremity trauma, and head and neck trauma. Female genital injuries account for 2.7 percent of overall rope swing injuries, and can result in severe lacerations, hematomas and avulsions. The review specifically analyzes injuries sustained by two girls in swimsuits, ages 13 and 15, who had wrapped their legs around the ropes, began to swing toward the water, but suddenly slid too quickly down the ropes and over knots intended as handgrips or foot grips.
In both cases, the girls required transportation exceeding 100 miles to receive medical attention. One of the two girls required surgery.
“Visitors to inland waterways need to be cognizant of the hazards of rope swings,” the authors wrote, “and health care professionals and ED staff should become aware of this mechanism of injury when evaluating patients with vulvar trauma.”
