Overview
Childhood injuries include sudden physical harm such as cuts, bruises, broken bones, burns, head injuries, poisoning, choking, drowning, and injuries from traffic crashes or sports. They may be unintentional, such as a fall, or related to violence or unsafe environments. The type of injury often depends on the child’s age, daily activities, and where they spend time.
Key Symptoms
Symptoms depend on the injury and may include pain, swelling, bleeding, trouble using an arm or leg, burns, vomiting, drowsiness, breathing problems, or changes in behavior. A child may cry, become unusually quiet, limp, or avoid moving. After a head injury, warning signs can include repeated vomiting, confusion, severe headache, seizure, or loss of consciousness.
Causes and Risk Factors
Common causes include falls from furniture or stairs, road traffic crashes, unsafe sleep or play spaces, access to hot liquids, medicines, chemicals, open water, and sharp objects. Risk increases with poor supervision, overcrowded or unsafe housing, lack of safety equipment, and risk-taking behavior in older children and teens. Children with developmental, vision, hearing, or movement differences may face extra injury risks in some settings.
Who Is Affected
Babies, children, and adolescents in all countries can be affected by injuries. Babies and toddlers are more likely to be injured at home, especially from falls, burns, choking, and poisoning. School-age children may be injured during play or travel, while teenagers may have higher risk from road use, sports, violence, and substance use.
Prevention
Prevention depends on the child’s age and environment. Use age-appropriate car seats and seat belts, helmets for cycling and similar activities, smoke alarms, stair gates, window guards, outlet covers, and locked storage for medicines, alcohol, cleaning products, and matches. Never leave a child alone near water, including bathtubs, buckets, pools, beaches, or rivers. Create safer play areas, teach road and water safety, and keep hot drinks, cords, and sharp objects out of reach.
Diagnosis and Tests
A healthcare professional will ask how the injury happened, when it happened, and what symptoms the child has. Examination may include checking breathing, alertness, movement, pain, swelling, skin changes, and signs of internal injury. Some children may need imaging such as X-rays or other scans, blood tests, or observation over time, depending on the injury.
Treatment Categories
Treatment depends on the type and severity of injury. Care may include cleaning and covering wounds, supporting injured limbs, monitoring for concussion or internal injury, managing burns, or removing exposure to poisons or smoke. Some injuries need emergency treatment, surgery, breathing support, or hospital care. Recovery may also involve rehabilitation, follow-up visits, and emotional support for the child and family.
When to Seek Medical Care
Seek medical care if a child has a possible broken bone, deep cut, burn, animal bite, head injury, ongoing pain, swelling, vomiting, fever after an injury, or trouble walking or using a limb. Get advice after any suspected poisoning, swallowed object, eye injury, or if the child’s behavior seems different from normal. Infants and very young children should be assessed promptly because signs of serious injury can be harder to recognize.
When It May Be an Emergency
Get emergency help right away if the child has trouble breathing, severe bleeding, seizure, loss of consciousness, severe burn, suspected drowning, choking, possible neck or spine injury, or is hard to wake. Emergency care is also needed for serious head injury signs, sudden weakness, blue lips, chest pain after trauma, or if a child may have swallowed a dangerous substance. If available in your area, contact emergency services or a poison center immediately.