Patterns of beach injuries studied

The ocean can be dangerous, doctors say, but it's not the rip tides or deep water -- it's the area right at the water's edge where most people choose to frolic.Most people who show up in hospital emergency rooms are injured in the so-called surf zone, the area between where you first dip your toes in the water and where the waves break, a study by University of Delaware researchers found.The injuries suffered by unsuspecting beach-goers range in severity, from simple cuts and bruises to devastating spinal damage -- with a dislocated shoulder here and a ruptured spleen there in between."If you see a young person that has a permanent neurologic deficit from a surf injury, it makes you pay attention," said Paul Cowan, chief of the department of emergency medicine at Beebe Medical Center in Lewes, Del.University researchers recorded ocean conditions such as water temperature and time elapsed between waves, weather conditions and details of injury incidents, including time of day, day of the week, and characteristics of the victims such as age and hometown."We're trying to cover all of our bases about all of these possible correlations and interactions," UD researcher Wendy Carey said. So far, a least one contributing factor has become clear, researchers said: The majority of those injured live out of state, and those Delawareans who are injured tend to be from northern, non-coastal communities.Such visitors often do not know basic safety tips, such as never turning your back to the waves, the researchers said."There are so many people who are not used to the beach," Carey said. "They think they can stand up against the power of the waves."They sometimes find out they can't, with painful consequences. "The ocean is pure unregulated Mother Nature and that will never change," Cowan said. "The only thing that can change is the behavior of people in the water."