Study Determines Most Common Winter-related Injuries in U.S.

BOSTON — A new study has unveiled the most common winter-related injuries in the U.S. The research, conducted by Boston personal-injury firm Stone Injury Lawyers, examined data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System from December through February over a two-year period.

Incidents were segmented by injury type and body parts affected. The injuries were then ordered from the most to least common type and body-part combination. The study also examined the five most common objects involved in the injury, as well as the count and percent of injuries that involved drugs or alcohol.

Internal organ injury affecting the head is the most common injury in the December-February period, with a total of 19,249 incidents recorded. Of these incidents, 607 involved alcohol, and 442 involved drugs.

The leading cause of an internal injury affecting the head in winter is floors or flooring materials, with steps in third place, suggesting icy conditions increase the chance of an accident.

The second-most common injury during the winter season is lacerations affecting the face, with 6,436 incidents recorded. 177 of these injuries involved alcohol and 94 involved drugs.

Similarly, flooring ranked second as the most common cause of a laceration to the face in winter, likely due to icy conditions, with tables ranking as the number one object involved in the injury.

Laceration affecting the finger is the third-most common winter injury. This type of injury recorded a total of 5,183 incidents during December-February over a two-year period, 25 of which involved alcohol and 44 involved drugs.

In fourth place is other or unstated injury affecting the lower trunk, with 4,282 incidents recorded. 45 of these incidents involved alcohol, while 35 involved drugs. The number-one product involved in these injuries was stairs or steps, which may be made slippery in the winter by weather conditions.

The fifth-most common wintry injury is strain or sprain affecting the ankle, with 4,075 incidents recorded in the December-February period. Stairs and steps are also the most common cause of a sprained ankle in winter, and very few of these injuries involved substances.

Other or unstated injury affecting the upper trunk is in sixth place, with 3,855 incidents recorded over the two-winter period. Exercise without equipment is the most common cause of injury here, which more often involves exercising outdoors rather than in a gym space. Again, wintry conditions can make outdoor exercise more dangerous than normal.

In seventh place is fracture affecting the lower trunk, with 3,044 incidents. Thirty-eight of these incidents involved alcohol, while 50 involved drugs.

The eighth-most common holiday injury is concussions affecting the head, with 2,937 incidents recorded during December-February over both studied years.

In ninth place is lacerations affecting the head, with 2,887 incidents recorded during the winter period. Of these incidents, 150 involved alcohol, and 85 involved drugs, which is a much higher proportion that many of the other injuries on this list, but flooring during the winter was the highest cause of a head laceration.

Rounding out the top ten is contusions or abrasions affecting the face. There were 2,714 of these incidents reported over the winter period studied, with 84 involving alcohol and 91 involving drugs. Flooring was also the highest cause of an accident of this kind.