THE rise in popularity of do-it-yourself projects has led to some unfortunate falls - literally. Blokes and ladders, it seems, are a dangerous mix.
In fact, a new study into ladder related falls over a decade shows a 47 per cent increase in the number of people being admitted to hospital.
And men over 60 are the most at-risk group according to researchers at CARRS-Q, the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland, based at QUT.
"Men aged over 60 represented 43 per cent of the hospitalisations overall, and this age group had the greatest increase in the number of admissions across the decade being examined," said Associate Professor Kirsten Vallmuur.
"Older men just don't bounce back as well as younger men.
"They often have other existing health problems, including fragility, eye sight and balance issues, which potentially escalates their risk".
Associate Professor Vallmuur said 226 patients had died as a result of a fall over the study period, 82 per cent of them aged over 60.
She said the data also indicated an annual increase in falls among women over 60 at a similar rate to men.
"In the over-60s group, in terms of case numbers, there were 81 per cent more females and 73 per cent more males hospitalised in 2011-12 than in 2002-03," Associate Professor Vallmuur said.
"This represented an age standardised rate increase of 6 per cent annually in the over-60s.
"In comparison, for the under 60-year-olds there was an increase in case numbers of about 30 per cent for both males and females in the same time period, and an age standardised rate increase of 2 per cent annually."
Two-thirds of the hospitalised injuries were fractures, mainly of the upper and lower extremities, torso and spine, along with head injuries, with cases involving those aged over 60 generally more serious.
Early findings for a further study to understand the circumstances of ladder-related falls indicated issues such as over-reaching, inappropriate footwear and unsteady or unstable surfaces contributed to the falls risk.
