Falls make up greatest number of UW Health trauma cases

Motor vehicle crashes or sports injuries are headline-grabbing types of trauma, but by far the most common type of trauma seen at UW Health comes from a commonplace source: personal surroundings.

Each year, UW Health treats thousands of patients with injuries related to falls, and most falls occur inside the home and impact people older than 65, according to Dr. Ann O’Rourke, medical director of the Level 1 trauma center at UW Health, and associate professor of surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.