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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has affected communities worldwide. This study examines the impact that public health measures to control viral spread have had on orthopaedic trauma presenting to an Australian level 1 trauma centre. We hypothesized that the volume of orthopaedic trauma in the period of social distancing would decrease, and the mechanisms of injury differ, compared to pre‐pandemic times.

We performed a retrospective analysis of patients requiring emergency orthopaedic surgery between 16 March and 21 April 2020 (the period after social distancing and lockdown commenced), and compared it to the group of patients from the same period in 2019. We collected demographic data, as well as injury type, anatomical location, mechanism of injury and surgical logistics.

During the COVID‐19 period, total emergency operations performed …