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There were 29 cases of lawn bowls injury recorded on Victorian hospital emergency department surveillance systems. Fifteen cases (3 males; 12 females) were identified on the new Victorian Emergency Minimum Database (VEMD) over the two-year period (1995-97). These data are drawn from 25 Victorian hospitals. The number of cases extracted from the database probably underestimates the actual number of lawn bowls injury presentations because the specific sport being played at the time of injury is inconsistently reported in VEMD sports injury case records. Another 14 cases (4 males; 10 females) were recorded on the superseded Victorian Injury Surveillance System (VISS) database that collected adult injury data from 4 Victorian hospitals for various periods between 1988 and 1995.
Injuries were caused by falls (59%, including trips and slips on the green during play, when traversing the ditch and on steps and paths in areas around the clubhouse and car park); overexertion (31%, sprains and strains); being struck by a bowl (7%) and foreign body in eye (3%). Injuries included: sprains and strains (35%); fractures (35%); cuts and bruises (23%); and one case of shoulder injury, not specified (3.3%). The most common sites of injury were the ankle and the wrist. Approximately three-quarters (76%) of the injured players were female, indicating they may be at higher risk of injury because ABS sports participation data indicate they comprise only 39% of bowls participants. Eight of the 29 cases (28%), all female and aged over 60 years, were admitted to hospital.
A similar pattern of injury was evident when Australian data on lawn bowls injuries, from the National Injury Surveillance Unit (NISU) in Adelaide, were analysed. The NISU database recorded 65 lawn bowls injury cases (from 50 participating hospitals across Australia) during the period 1986-1997. Seventy-one per cent of injured bowlers were female; 65% were aged over 60 years. The major causes of injuries were falls, including trips and slips (54%); overexertion resulting in sprains and strains (28%); and being hit by the bowl (18%). The injurious falls were fairly evenly divided between loss of balance, slips (mostly on the green but a few on steps, bank and paths) and trips (mostly over bowls). Fractures (37%) and sprains and strains (31%) were the most common types of injury. Eleven cases (17%) were admitted to hospital.
Anecdotal evidence from the Royal Victorian Bowls Association (RVBA) suggests that the common scenarios for falls in lawn bowls are:
* when crossing the ditch from the bank to the green, players step forward over the ditch, instead of sideways, and stumble or slip into the ditch;
* players deliver the bowl when unbalanced (there needs to be 65-70% weighting on the leading foot to maintain balance, otherwise a bowler falls over); and
* players step backwards during play and fall over the bowls that are behind them.
Older people, especially older women, are particularly vulnerable to fall-related fractures that can cause longer-term disability and may reduce quality of life and independence. Because of the older age of participants in lawn bowls, clubs and associations need to be vigilant about eliminating fall hazards from the game, the playing environment and club facilities (including the car park).
lol
Women and balls are a fairly dangerous combination in the twilight years.
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