Surgeons at Royal Perth Hospital are urging people to be careful during their summer holidays, after treating an alarming number of spinal injury patients.
Trauma surgeon Dr Sudhakar Rao says five patients were admitted with permanent spinal cord injuries over 10 days in January.
The hospital usually sees about 34 spinal patients each year.
Dr Rao says people must have to exercise care while participating in summer sports.
“Enjoy your outdoor activities but be aware of the Environment,” he said.
“In the case of water sports be aware of the depth of water you’re diving into, be fairly fit if you’re going to go into rough surf.
“If you’re into outdoor sports vehicles such as trail bikes and Quad bikes, be really careful.”
