Tripping over toys is a common injury. Photo / 123RF
Tripping over toys is a common injury. Photo / 123RF
ACC claims over the festive period are on the rise, with back, ankle and neck sprains the major contributor.
Perhaps it's a case of carrying around those overweight Christmas presents, or twisting that neck a bit too quickly to catch a glance at what lay under the tree - either way, the number of claims to ACC over the past five years has steadily risen from $448,000 in 2014/15 to $497,000 in the 2018/19 year.
Lumbar, or back, sprains are the most common type of injury over not only the whole period, but also Christmas Day and New Years' Day for the past five years.
Just over $48,000 of claims were filed for the 2018/19 year, slightly down on last year, but up from 2014/15 when $44,147 claims were made.
There were $22.056.00 of claims for neck injuries last Christmas. Photo / 123RF
Neck injuries also caught a lot of people out, with $22,056 of claims, a figure which has steadily grown over the past five years. In the 2014/15 year, just $19,864 was spent.
Are the sprint races in the backyard with young members of the family bringing out the competitiveness? Or perhaps you've taken a tumble down the back stairs, as ankle sprains are the next most common injury.
Or, it could be caused by tripping over the plethora of toys, large and small, left scattered around the house, possibly hidden under piles of wrapping paper? Either way, $22,014 was spent by the organisation trying to help people recover.
Injuries to the shoulder and upper arm come in next. There can be a lot of heaving lifting over the festive period - however, a big present doesn't always mean it's the best - and for ACC, it's meant forking out $15,979, up from $11,577 four years ago.
Sprains to the knee and leg have wracked up more than $13,000 while cuts to fingers or a thumb is also proving costly at just over $10,000.
As for which day costs ACC the most?
That would be New Years Day, which is slowly and steadily costing more in claims over the past five years, with $3380 on Christmas Day and $4741 on New Years Day in 2014/15.
For the 2018/19 year, Christmas Day had increased slightly to $3431 while $5629 worth of claims were made for New Years Day.
Isaac Carlson, ACC's head of injury prevention, said most Kiwis look forward to the Christmas-New Year break as a time to relax and catch up with friends and whānau but he wanted to remind people to stay safe.
Be gentle on yourself and others, and most of all enjoy the season. Photo / 123RF
"We want them to stay safe in the holiday season. Unfortunately, thousands of New Zealanders end up getting injured at this time of year and most of those injuries are preventable. And for some, it can be a stressful time.
"So keep an eye on your friends and whānau over the holidays, be gentle on yourself and others, and most of all enjoy the season."
