Q: My son wants to start mowing the lawn, but I’m a bit hesitant. Am I being overly cautious?
A: With summer’s warm weather comes the typical yard work we have all come to expect. But what most of us don’t realize is that the everyday activity of cutting our grass exposes us to significant potential injury. The lawn mower is the most common piece of dangerous equipment in the United States. More than 230,000 injuries a year are attributed to lawn mowers – 20,000 of these are children.
In adults, hand injuries and burns are the most common. These range from tendon and nerve lacerations to multiple digit amputations. Less common in adults but more frequent in children are significant lower extremity injuries. These range from toe amputations to crippling foot and leg injuries. Locally, we have treated children with limb-threatening injuries as young as 3 years old. What is most worrisome is that the numbers are increasing. Teams of specialist surgeons are often required to reconstruct these young children through multiple operations.
The principal point to drive home is that the lawn mower is not a toy. It should not be used by, or to entertain, children. It has been our experience that the most debilitating leg injuries in children have been caused by well-meaning adults holding a child or grandchild while operating a riding mower.
Some guidelines to consider: Children should be at least 12 years old before operating a lawn mower, and 16 before using a riding mower. Children should never be passengers on a riding mower. People who mow should always wear sturdy shoes – never sandals. Drinking alcohol and operating power tools never mix. Stones and toys must be removed from the path of the mower to prevent flying objects and eye injuries. Special attention and care must be taken to avoid injury when mowing wet grass or any incline greater than 15 degrees.
Injuries sustained in the garden should be attended to immediately because of the risk of infection from soil-dwelling bacteria. Appropriate tetanus immunization status is essential. Operating room evaluation with general anesthesia is typical for cleansing, structural repair and wound management. Amputated fingers may be amenable to microsurgical replantation. However, the replantation of toes has not been proven helpful. Revision of the amputation is preferred and produces a more reliable outcome. Post-reconstruction rehabilitation is significant and may ultimately require prosthetics or orthotic shoe inserts to correct walking ability. The long-term effects of these injuries to children can’t even be estimated in terms of functional losses over a lifetime.
So exercise caution and consider the lawn mower – and other common power tools – for what they are: helpful but potentially very hazardous equipment in the wrong hands.
Dr. Mark Brzezienski is a plastic and hand surgeon with Erlanger Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and a member of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society.