Demand for travel for both work and leisure continues to rise in the U.S. However, handling luggage subjects the shoulder to excessive physical loads.
OBJECTIVE:
To report national estimates, demographic characteristics, and injury mechanisms of patients presenting to U.S. emergency departments with luggage-associated shoulder injuries.
METHODS:
This cross-sectional, retrospective study analyzes the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database (2003-2017) to identify annual cases of luggage-associated shoulder injuries presenting to U.S. emergency departments.
RESULTS:
On average, 1,811 luggage-associated shoulder injuries presented to U.S. emergency departments annually (95% Confidence Interval: [C.I.] 1,123–2,499). Patients were commonly females (62.3%; 57.9%–66.8%) sustaining sprains, strains, or muscle tears (60.1%; 52.6%–67.7%). The majority of patients sustained shoulder injuries while lifting their luggage (70.1%; C.I. 64.9%–75.2%). Injuries were most often observed in patients 40–49 (21.5%; C.I. 16.5%–26.5%) and 50–59 (24.9%; C.I. 20.2%–29.6%) years of age. However, those sustaining shoulder injuries due to falls to the ground were significantly older (p < 0.001) on average than those with injuries from lifting or pulling their luggage.
CONCLUSIONS:
We recommend that at-risk individuals for luggage-associated shoulder injuries take certain precautions when handling heavy baggage to reduce said chances of injury.
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