Incidence of Recreational Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding Injuries: six years experience in the largest ski resort in Finland

Abstract

Background and Aims: the aim of this study was to provide information on incidences and severity of recreational alpine skiing and snowboarding injuries in northern finland and to discuss possible preventive measures to reduce the number and severity of injuries in the future.Materials and Methods: this retrospective study consists of all injured skiers and snowboarders in the levi Ski Resort during the 2006-2012 winter seasons. the levi Ski Resort has a SkIdata ® system which records automatically every ski-lift run taking place. the emergency system of the resort registers the data (conditions during the injury, patient characteristics, and observed and/or suspected injuries) of all injured persons they meet. the severity of injury is defined by the needed level of care: grade 1 (treated by the emergency system with no need for further referral), grade 2 (referral to the local primacy care clinic), grade 3 (transfer to hospital by ambulance), and grade 4 (transfer to tertiary care by helicopter).Results: during the 6-year study period, there were 29,576.132 lift runs and 2911 injuries were met by the emergency system, resulting in the average injury incidence of 0.98 injuries per 10,000 lift runs. Vice versa, the average number of the ski-lift rides needed to generate one injury was 10,160. the knee injuries of the skiers constituted almost onethird of all cases, whereas snowboarders sustained more injuries to the upper limb and axial areas.Conclusion: Skiing and snowboarding are related to a relatively high risk of injury. the most common injuries affect the knee in skiers and the upper extremity, especially the wrist, in snowboarders. a continuous and systematic review of injuries is needed to monitor the effects of changes made in terms of the safety.

Lesiones entre practicantes de esquí y snowboard portugueses

“…His findings suggest that Skiers had a relatively stable injury incidence during this period of time, and the number of Snowboard injuries had increased significantly, due to the rise in Snowboard's popularity. Meanwhile in Europe, Stenroos & Handolin (2015) brought to us injury incidence data from Finland, collected from 2006 to 2012's winter seasons. The data showed that the most common injuries affect the knee in skiers, and the upper extremity, especially the wrist, in snowboarders.…”

The correlation between anterior cruciate ligament injury in elite alpine skiers and their parents

“…These results are in agreement with the literature when it comes to both recreational and competitive skiers. 14,31,64,107,118…”

Helmet Use Among Skiers and Snowboarders in Southern Alberta

“…Head and neck injury rates per 1000 participants per year were estimated at 0.95 among skiers and 2.48 among snowboarders [18]. Kim et al reported the most common injuries among snowboarders were wrist injuries, while the most common skiing injuries occurred to the lower extremities, predominantly affecting the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) [74,75]. In addition, a 6 year retrospective study assessing injured recreational alpine skiers and snowboarders at the Levi Ski Resort in Finland found an average injury incidence of 0.98 injuries per 10,000 lift runs, with knee injuries to skiers constituting nearly one third of all cases, while snowboarders sustained more injuries to the upper extremities, primarily the wrist [75].…”

“…Kim et al reported the most common injuries among snowboarders were wrist injuries, while the most common skiing injuries occurred to the lower extremities, predominantly affecting the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) [74,75]. In addition, a 6 year retrospective study assessing injured recreational alpine skiers and snowboarders at the Levi Ski Resort in Finland found an average injury incidence of 0.98 injuries per 10,000 lift runs, with knee injuries to skiers constituting nearly one third of all cases, while snowboarders sustained more injuries to the upper extremities, primarily the wrist [75]. These estimates reflect the predominance of upper extremity injuries among snowboarders and lower extremity injuries among skiers with participants in both activities susceptible to head and neck injuries.…”