Diving is the fourth leading cause of spinal cord injury for men, and the fifth for women, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. A single dive can result in a life-altering injury. Diving injuries take place in swimming pools, lakes, rivers, creeks, swimming holes and any water environment.
In this podcast, Emma Harrington, Shepherd Center’s Director of Injury Prevention Education, discusses how and where diving injuries occur, and how to prevent them.
Selected Podcast
Preventing Diving Injuries and Staying Safe in the Water
Featured Speaker:
Emma Harrington
Emma Harrington, MSPS, is the director of injury prevention and education services at Shepherd Center. Previously, Emma started the injury prevention program at Grady Memorial Hospital in the Trauma Department. She holds a master of education degree in international education policy from Harvard University. Originally from Boston, Emma is a licensed social studies teacher. Transcription:
Melanie Cole, MS (Host): Diving is the fourth leading cause of spinal cord injury for men and the fifth for women according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. A single dive can result in a life altering injury. It’s one of the reasons that me, as a mother, have not let my kids dive at all. Not join the diving teams, not dive into the lake or into the ponds. My guest today is Emma Harrington. She’s the director of injury prevention education at Shepherd’s Center. Emma, welcome to the show. I'm so glad you could be with us today. As I just said in my intro, after learning about this from Shepherd I won't let me kids—who are teens—dive at all, anywhere. Tell us a little bit about diving injuries and how common they are.
Emma Harrington (Guest): Sure. Thank you so much for having me on today. Diving injuries are actually more common than you think. It’s one of the most preventable causes for spinal cord injury. You said it in your intro. The fourth leading cause of spinal cord injury for men and the fifth for women. So really anytime you go headfirst into any body of water, the risks are far more than what they seem. That’s what we see here at Shepherd’s Center. One single dive can alter your life forever.
Host: Really I got chills when you just said that. So tell us why this happens because people think it’s pretty safe to dive. They think maybe it’s deep enough water, but they don’t really know what’s going on underneath do they?
Emma: That’s exactly right. When you see commercials and beaches, there's always people diving into the swimming pool and it’s glamorized, and that’s not the case. It’s not just about the depth of the water. We see ocean dives. That’s actually the number two area that we see diving related injuries come from is the ocean. You know that moment when you first get to the beach and you run into the water and you dive under the waves, that’s the worst thing you could possibly do. Waves crash over where sand has built up and it poses great risk for you. So they can happen really anywhere. Lakes, rivers, oceans, swimming pools, anywhere. It happens to young people who are often in the prime of their life.
Host: Well it does. They have that feeling of immortality as well. So they dive off of high bridges and things because they feel like it’s perfectly safe. So why, based on what I just said I think I know what you're going to answer, but why so many more males than females?
Emma: Right. So it’s 89% males to 11% females. That’s based on our own research on the ten year retrospective review of every diving admit that we took in. I think the answer is really in the prefrontal cortex. That’s the part of the brain that inhibits impulses. You plan and organize your behavior in that part of the brain. It doesn’t fully develop until your 25. So for females, you develop a little bit faster. So maybe two years earlier than males. So I think that’s a large part of it is that this risk taking behavior is we don’t see the consequences of it. I also think a large piece of it is the education piece. People don’t know that you can get catastrophically injured by going headfirst into any body of water, including oceans. So I think it’s education and it’s also this immortality complex that we all have to go through and develop through as teenagers into young adulthood.
Host: Jumping into deep water, people do that all the time. Are diving injuries usually something you can walk away from? I mean what is the difference between jumping and diving.
Emma: Right. So it’s far better to break your leg than to break your spine or injury your brain. So these are young people. It’s happening to young people. We have seen almost half, 20 to 29 years of age in our diving injury research, and younger than that. 19 and younger. The outcomes, you do not walk away from. They're severe cervical spinal cord injuries resulting in tetraplegia. So these are the kind of injuries where paralysis is a huge problem. You have to learn how to walk again, if possible, how to eat again, how to maybe go to the bathroom again, if possible. A lot of times that isn’t possible. These are lifelong injuries that you don’t just roll away from or walk away from.
Host: So obviously so dangerous. Tell us a little bit about preventing these types of injuries. While you're talking about that Emma, parents may wonder, “Well, my kid is on the diving club.” So is that as dangerous when it’s involved in school activities? Is diving a common sport? Is it as dangerous to be involved in a supervised sport like diving as it is to dive in on the beachfront or into a lake?
Emma: Right. So the first piece of your question, how to prevent diving injuries. Very simple. Always go feet first, every single time. Never lead with your head, and never dive into a shallow end of the pool. I think knowing that often hidden objects are in lakes and rivers and oceans, it makes you more aware that it’s not just the depth that we’re talking about. It’s what’s lurking underneath. I think a large piece of this that we don’t talk about often enough is alcohol being involved in these sorts of injuries. When you're at a party and you're doing a slip and slide and you're going headfirst. Essentially the thigs to protect most are your brain and your spinal cord, and that’s why diving injuries as so catastrophic because it puts both of those pieces at risk.
So now the diving club piece of it. I hear that a lot from parents and I heard that a lot from teenagers that might come into Shepherd’s Center to tour our units and see a lot of the results of diving injuries and they get scared. So my answer is this. Myself, as a parent, I would never let my child join a diving club.
Host: Me either.
Emma: Right. But we all have to weigh our own risks and rewards and what we are willing to take on in terms of risk. So I think if you are in a diving club that has a ginormous pool, and that you're being instructed on how to dive, I think some parents might be okay with that. I think feet first every time. There are other ways to be involved in swim club that don’t involve diving.
Host: Yes. I completely agree with you, and I can see why some parents would think it’s great. Really, I don’t see a situation that we would need to go into a body of water headfirst. So as we wrap up, I would like you to tell us a little bit about what you see at Shepherd’s Center because there are some videos on your website that kids have made that show, in their own words, what happened when they dove. Whether it was off a bridge where there’s no diving signs or into a lake. People don’t think about a big lake or an ocean. They dive right at the shoreline into a wave and they don’t realize maybe the tide has come back. There are so many reasons Emma. So tell us about those kids that made those videos and reiterate your best advice, again.
Emma: Right. So I think the best quote actually comes from Bridget Metsker who started my whole injury prevention program. I think she said something like, “How important is it for you to dive? I suspect it’s less important than being able to walk, feed yourself, go to the bathroom on your own. All of the things that we take for granted every day.” What the teenagers say who find themselves in the situation of being at Shepherd’s Center and rehabbing here is that they can't believe that one split second decision could result in such catastrophic consequences for them for the rest of their lives. They say things like, “I've trusted my judgement. I've been diving in this water hole for decades. I know this lake.” That doesn’t matter. None of it can compare to the catastrophic effects of what can happen if you go headfirst. So I think the best advice is feet first every single time.
Host: That is great advice. I'm going to re-say it. Feet first every single time. Parents, if you are listening, go onto Shepherd’s Center website and watch some of these videos. They're very moving and this is the kids in their own words about what happened to them that changed their lives forever. One split second decision changed their lives forever. It’s very moving. Emma, thank you so much for coming on and giving us such great information today. You can head on over to our website at shepherd.org for more information and to get connected with one of our providers. If you found this podcast informative, please head on over to the website. Share it on your social media and be sure to check out all the other fascinating podcasts in our library. This is Shepherd’s Center Radio. I'm Melanie Cole.
Melanie Cole, MS (Host): Diving is the fourth leading cause of spinal cord injury for men and the fifth for women according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. A single dive can result in a life altering injury. It’s one of the reasons that me, as a mother, have not let my kids dive at all. Not join the diving teams, not dive into the lake or into the ponds. My guest today is Emma Harrington. She’s the director of injury prevention education at Shepherd’s Center. Emma, welcome to the show. I'm so glad you could be with us today. As I just said in my intro, after learning about this from Shepherd I won't let me kids—who are teens—dive at all, anywhere. Tell us a little bit about diving injuries and how common they are.
Emma Harrington (Guest): Sure. Thank you so much for having me on today. Diving injuries are actually more common than you think. It’s one of the most preventable causes for spinal cord injury. You said it in your intro. The fourth leading cause of spinal cord injury for men and the fifth for women. So really anytime you go headfirst into any body of water, the risks are far more than what they seem. That’s what we see here at Shepherd’s Center. One single dive can alter your life forever.
Host: Really I got chills when you just said that. So tell us why this happens because people think it’s pretty safe to dive. They think maybe it’s deep enough water, but they don’t really know what’s going on underneath do they?
Emma: That’s exactly right. When you see commercials and beaches, there's always people diving into the swimming pool and it’s glamorized, and that’s not the case. It’s not just about the depth of the water. We see ocean dives. That’s actually the number two area that we see diving related injuries come from is the ocean. You know that moment when you first get to the beach and you run into the water and you dive under the waves, that’s the worst thing you could possibly do. Waves crash over where sand has built up and it poses great risk for you. So they can happen really anywhere. Lakes, rivers, oceans, swimming pools, anywhere. It happens to young people who are often in the prime of their life.
Host: Well it does. They have that feeling of immortality as well. So they dive off of high bridges and things because they feel like it’s perfectly safe. So why, based on what I just said I think I know what you're going to answer, but why so many more males than females?
Emma: Right. So it’s 89% males to 11% females. That’s based on our own research on the ten year retrospective review of every diving admit that we took in. I think the answer is really in the prefrontal cortex. That’s the part of the brain that inhibits impulses. You plan and organize your behavior in that part of the brain. It doesn’t fully develop until your 25. So for females, you develop a little bit faster. So maybe two years earlier than males. So I think that’s a large part of it is that this risk taking behavior is we don’t see the consequences of it. I also think a large piece of it is the education piece. People don’t know that you can get catastrophically injured by going headfirst into any body of water, including oceans. So I think it’s education and it’s also this immortality complex that we all have to go through and develop through as teenagers into young adulthood.
Host: Jumping into deep water, people do that all the time. Are diving injuries usually something you can walk away from? I mean what is the difference between jumping and diving.
Emma: Right. So it’s far better to break your leg than to break your spine or injury your brain. So these are young people. It’s happening to young people. We have seen almost half, 20 to 29 years of age in our diving injury research, and younger than that. 19 and younger. The outcomes, you do not walk away from. They're severe cervical spinal cord injuries resulting in tetraplegia. So these are the kind of injuries where paralysis is a huge problem. You have to learn how to walk again, if possible, how to eat again, how to maybe go to the bathroom again, if possible. A lot of times that isn’t possible. These are lifelong injuries that you don’t just roll away from or walk away from.
Host: So obviously so dangerous. Tell us a little bit about preventing these types of injuries. While you're talking about that Emma, parents may wonder, “Well, my kid is on the diving club.” So is that as dangerous when it’s involved in school activities? Is diving a common sport? Is it as dangerous to be involved in a supervised sport like diving as it is to dive in on the beachfront or into a lake?
Emma: Right. So the first piece of your question, how to prevent diving injuries. Very simple. Always go feet first, every single time. Never lead with your head, and never dive into a shallow end of the pool. I think knowing that often hidden objects are in lakes and rivers and oceans, it makes you more aware that it’s not just the depth that we’re talking about. It’s what’s lurking underneath. I think a large piece of this that we don’t talk about often enough is alcohol being involved in these sorts of injuries. When you're at a party and you're doing a slip and slide and you're going headfirst. Essentially the thigs to protect most are your brain and your spinal cord, and that’s why diving injuries as so catastrophic because it puts both of those pieces at risk.
So now the diving club piece of it. I hear that a lot from parents and I heard that a lot from teenagers that might come into Shepherd’s Center to tour our units and see a lot of the results of diving injuries and they get scared. So my answer is this. Myself, as a parent, I would never let my child join a diving club.
Host: Me either.
Emma: Right. But we all have to weigh our own risks and rewards and what we are willing to take on in terms of risk. So I think if you are in a diving club that has a ginormous pool, and that you're being instructed on how to dive, I think some parents might be okay with that. I think feet first every time. There are other ways to be involved in swim club that don’t involve diving.
Host: Yes. I completely agree with you, and I can see why some parents would think it’s great. Really, I don’t see a situation that we would need to go into a body of water headfirst. So as we wrap up, I would like you to tell us a little bit about what you see at Shepherd’s Center because there are some videos on your website that kids have made that show, in their own words, what happened when they dove. Whether it was off a bridge where there’s no diving signs or into a lake. People don’t think about a big lake or an ocean. They dive right at the shoreline into a wave and they don’t realize maybe the tide has come back. There are so many reasons Emma. So tell us about those kids that made those videos and reiterate your best advice, again.
Emma: Right. So I think the best quote actually comes from Bridget Metsker who started my whole injury prevention program. I think she said something like, “How important is it for you to dive? I suspect it’s less important than being able to walk, feed yourself, go to the bathroom on your own. All of the things that we take for granted every day.” What the teenagers say who find themselves in the situation of being at Shepherd’s Center and rehabbing here is that they can't believe that one split second decision could result in such catastrophic consequences for them for the rest of their lives. They say things like, “I've trusted my judgement. I've been diving in this water hole for decades. I know this lake.” That doesn’t matter. None of it can compare to the catastrophic effects of what can happen if you go headfirst. So I think the best advice is feet first every single time.
Host: That is great advice. I'm going to re-say it. Feet first every single time. Parents, if you are listening, go onto Shepherd’s Center website and watch some of these videos. They're very moving and this is the kids in their own words about what happened to them that changed their lives forever. One split second decision changed their lives forever. It’s very moving. Emma, thank you so much for coming on and giving us such great information today. You can head on over to our website at shepherd.org for more information and to get connected with one of our providers. If you found this podcast informative, please head on over to the website. Share it on your social media and be sure to check out all the other fascinating podcasts in our library. This is Shepherd’s Center Radio. I'm Melanie Cole.