Everyday more than 53 Australians arrive in hospital suffering spinal injuries.
That's according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare which found more than 19,000 people presented to emergency departments for spinal injuries and over 26,000 were hospitalised in 2020/21.
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About 56 per cent of spinal injury hospitalisations resulted from falls followed by transport causes which accounted for 31 per cent.
Half of all spinal injury hospitalisations among men - and two thirds of those for women -were due to falls .
The most frequently recorded activity at the time of fall was while the person was resting, sleeping, eating or engaging in other vital activities which accounted for 13 per cent of hospitalisations.
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However, the majority of fall causes were unspecified or missing in hospital records.
Transport-related events were the second most frequent cause of spinal injury hospitalisations.
Car occupants made up most of the spinal injury hospitalisation incidents at 44 per cent, while motorcyclists accounted for one in five transport hospitalisations.
Sixty-three per cent of spinal injury hospitalisations caused by transport accidents involved men.
About 452 patients died after being hospitalised for spinal injury hospitalisations in 2021/22 with over half of the deaths involving a fracture.
Older Australians were more at risk of falls with the 80 to 84 age group accounting for the highest number of spinal injury hospitalisations.
Men were over-represented in spinal injury hospitalisations and made up the majority of emergency presentations and hospitalisation.
People living in very remote areas across the country were twice as likely to be hospitalised for a spinal injury compared to city-dwellers.
Spinal fractures were the most frequent injury and the cervical spine was the predominant site of injury in emergency presentations while the lumbar region was the most frequently affected region for hospitalisations.
The injuries are on the rise.
Between 2017 to 2021, the rate of hospitalisations increased by four per cent every year.
The Spinal injuries in Australia report released on Thursday describes emergency department presentations and hospitalisations for spinal injuries during 2020/21.
