The popularity of electric bikes has surged – and so have injuries resulting from riding them, especially among young people, a new study says.
The research, presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, found that e-bike accidents involving children increased by 300% in San Diego from 2019 to 2023. But the issue is widespread: Last June, the American College of Surgeons warned of the injury toll e-bikes are causing.
“While we know e-bike accidents can result in more extreme injuries for kids, especially those who lack experience operating them, there has been a paucity of data focused specifically on orthopaedic injuries associated with e-bikes in this patient population,” Dr. Rachel Mednick Thompson, an orthopaedic surgeon at Rady Children’s Hospital at the University of California San Diego, said in a news release. “Our findings underscore the need for community-wide strategies for injury prevention, regulation and education on e-bike use.”…