TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024//
TI  - The impact of COVID-19 on bicycle-related injuries managed at a level 1 major trauma center in London, United Kingdom
JO  - Curēus
A1  - Bolton, Sarah
A1  - Coffey, Duncan
A1  - Drummond, Isabella
A1  - Haggag, Omar
A1  - ElBaz, Ahmed M.
A1  - Habiba, Abdallah
A1  - Edwards, Kyra
SP  - e59465
EP  - e59465
VL  - 16
IS  - 5
N2  - Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic changed peoples' travel behaviors; an uptake in cycling was observed in the United Kingdom. The aim of this study was to assess the cycling-related orthopedic injuries presented to a major trauma center (MTC) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. <br><br>METHOD This retrospective observational single-center study analyzed referrals to the orthopedic department during a matched two-month period in 2019 and 2020. Data were collated on cycling-related injuries including demographic variables, mechanism of injury, anatomical area of injury, and the management of injury. The data were compared and statistical analysis was performed using the Pearson Chi-squared test to assess for significance. <br><br>RESULTS A total of 2409 patients were referred to the orthopedic department with injuries. A 35.6% decrease in total referrals was made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis of cycling-specific injuries demonstrated a statistically significant increase in referrals to the orthopedic department during the COVID-19 pandemic. A statistically significant difference in upper limb trauma was also observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patterns of management, namely operative vs. non-operative management, did not demonstrate a difference in the two time periods. <br><br>DISCUSSION This study highlights that during the COVID-19 pandemic, cycling behavior changed with more patients suffering orthopedic injuries as a result. Orthopedic departments may need to plan for this change in behaviors with more capacity being created to manage the demand. <br><br>CONCLUSION Cycling-related injuries referred to the orthopedic department increased during the pandemic.    Keywords: CoViD-19-Road-Traffic .<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2168-8184
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.59465
ID  - ref1
ER  -