Every day, eight children get their feet between the spokes of a bicycle. That is not as innocent as it seems.
It can sometimes have serious consequences
A quarter to a third of children sustain a fracture after a foot gets caught between the spokes. In an unknown number of cases, it leads to damage to the growth plates in the legs. Intern at surgery Karlijn Janssen and trauma surgeon Ger van Olden warn about this in this week's Medical Contact.
Cycling safely
Most parents provide enough protection on their own bicycle:approved child seats, hard plastic protective plates and/or bicycle bags reduce the risk of a foot between the spokes. According to the doctors, many accidents do not happen on one's own bicycle, but on the bicycle of a brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother or babysitter.
