'Elective injuries': Viral 'Milk Crate Challenge' sending people to ER

Some physicians are warning against the "Milk Crate Challenge," a viral phenomenon in which participants attempt to walk up a pyramid of milk crates until they reach the top or wipe out, deeming it a public health hazard, reports The Washington Post.

When the person falls, watching crowds sing a chorus of "Oh!" and "Ah!" as the pyramid collapses and the individual lands on a crate or the ground.

"It looks like something funny, but real people are getting real injuries," said Henry Schuitema, DO, chief of emergency medicine at Stratford-based Jefferson Health New Jersey.

Some physicians say the injuries from the challenge are putting more stress on hospitals and emergency rooms already overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients.  

"Everyone needs to do their part in supporting first responders and healthcare providers, and that involves not partaking in challenges like this one that are putting additional strain on the system," said Shawn Anthony, MD, orthopedic surgeon at New York City-based Mount Sinai Hospital.

Though it isn't clear how many total injuries and hospitalizations have been tied to the challenge, Dr. Anthony said colleagues nationwide have posted on online forums about a variety of injuries they've seen related to the challenge, including shoulder dislocations and rotator-cuff tears, ACL and meniscus tears, broken wrists, and spinal-cord injuries. Dr. Anthony said the injuries remind him of what he routinely sees when people fall off ladders or are hurt in high-speed skiing incidents, though he deemed the Milk Crate Challenge injuries different, calling them "elective injuries."

 

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