Spinal injury in alpine winter sports: a review

Bigdon, Sebastian F.; Gewiess, Jan; Hoppe, Sven; Exadaktylos, Aristomenis K.; Benneker, Lorin Michael; Fairhurst, Paul Gilbert; Albers, Christoph E.

doi:10.1186/s13049-019-0645-z

Cited by 18 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Concerning prevention, few studies analyzed the effectiveness of helmet use, airbags, back guards, multichambered foams or finger-tapping, especially in sports like climbing, paragliding, skydiving and base jumping. In contrast to alpine winter sports, where 12 meta-analyses have shown that wearing a helmet significantly reduces the risk of head injuries [ 83 ], in mountain biking there is still some controversy regarding the benefit of helmet use [ 17 , 21 ]. The interplay between the safety conferred by the safety device versus a false sense of security potentially influencing risk-taking behaviour would be particularly interesting.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Injuries in alpine summer sports - types, frequency and prevention: a systematic review

Bigdon

Hecht

Fairhurst

et al. 2022

BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil

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Introduction Summer alpine sports, including mountain biking, hiking and airborne pursuits, have experienced a recent surge in popularity. Accordingly, trauma associated with these activities has increased. There is a scarcity of literature exploring clinical aspects surrounding injuries. Specifically, no single article provides a general overview, as individual studies tend to focus on one particular sport. In the present study, we performed a systematic literature review to summarize existing knowledge and explore the potential for prevention and clinical decision making in this group. Method Literature searches were performed using the PubMed and Scopus database for the most commonly ventured sports associated with injury: mountain biking, climbing, airborne sports, paragliding, and base jumping. From this search, studies were identified for qualitative and quantitative analyses. These searches were done according to PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. Studies were then analyzed regarding epidemiology of injuries, relevant anatomical considerations and prevention strategies were discussed. Results A broad spectrum of injury sites and mechanisms are seen in mountain biking, climbing or airborne sports. Mountain biking related injuries commonly involve the upper extremity, with fractures of the clavicle being the most common injury, followed by fractures of the hand and wrist. Scaphoid fractures remain of paramount importance in a differential diagnosis, given their often subtle clinical and radiological appearance. Paragliding, skydiving, and base jumping particularly affect transition areas of the spine, such as the thoracolumbar and the spinopelvic regions. Lower limb injuries were seen in equal frequency to spinal injuries. Regarding relative risk, mountain biking has the lowest risk for injuries, followed by climbing and airborne sports. Male alpinists are reported to be more susceptible to injuries than female alpinists. Generally, the literature surrounding hiking and water-related mountain sports is insufficient, and further work is required to elucidate injury mechanisms and effective preventative measures. A helmet seems to decrease the likelihood of face and head injuries in mountain sports and be a meaningful preventive measurement.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Injuries in alpine summer sports - types, frequency and prevention: a systematic review

Bigdon

Hecht

Fairhurst

et al. 2022

BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil

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“…A systematic review of alpine winter sports and spine trauma yielded 64 studies. 35 Skiing, snowboarding, and tobogganing are the reasons for falls. The thoracolumbar spine is the most common region for spinal injury.…”

Section: Sports Injuriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Disc injuries seem to occur more commonly in alpine winter sports athletes than in the general population. 35 A study from Switzerland examined the trauma cases due to extreme sports in Swiss Alpines. 36 A total of 616 patients rescued with helicopters for a ten-year interval (1998-2008) were examined.…”

Section: Sports Injuriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incidence and Epidemiology of Thoracolumbar Spine Fractures: WFNS Spine Committee Recommendations

2021

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This review aims to search the epidemiology and incidence rates of thoracolumbar spine fractures. A systematic review of the literature of the last 10 years gave 586 results with “incidence,” and 387 results with “epidemiology,” of which 39 papers were analyzed. The review results were discussed and voted in 2 consensus meetings of the WFNS (World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies) Spine Committee. Out of 39 studies, 15 studies have focused on thoracolumbar trauma, remaining 24 studies have looked at all spine trauma. Most were retrospective in nature; few were prospective and multicenter. Some studies have focused on specific injuries. The annual incidence of TL fractures is about 30/100,000 inhabitants including osteoporotic fractures. There is a trend to increase the fractures in elderly population especially in developed countries, while an increase of motor vehicle accidents in developing countries. The mortality rate among male elderly patients is relatively high. The incidence of thoracolumbar spine fractures is increasing because of low-velocity falls in the elderly population. The main reasons are falls and traffic accidents. Learning the regional differences and some special forms of trauma such as extreme sports, war, and gunshot injuries will help the prevention of the thoracolumbar spine fractures.

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“…helmet, rope, belaying) and the activity. For instance, critical injuries in climbing often involve the pelvis and chest [7], canyoning accidents the lower and upper extremities [8], and mountain biking, winter, and aviation sport injuries the head and thoracolumbar vertebral column [9][10][11].…”

Section: Injury Patterns Of Patients With Multiple Trauma In the Mounmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple trauma management in mountain environments - a scoping review

Sumann¹,

Moens

Brink

et al. 2020

Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med

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Background Multiple trauma in mountain environments may be associated with increased morbidity and mortality compared to urban environments. Objective To provide evidence based guidance to assist rescuers in multiple trauma management in mountain environments. Eligibility criteria All articles published on or before September 30th 2019, in all languages, were included. Articles were searched with predefined search terms. Sources of evidence PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and hand searching of relevant studies from the reference list of included articles. Charting methods Evidence was searched according to clinically relevant topics and PICO questions. Results Two-hundred forty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria. Recommendations were developed and graded according to the evidence-grading system of the American College of Chest Physicians. The manuscript was initially written and discussed by the coauthors. Then it was presented to ICAR MedCom in draft and again in final form for discussion and internal peer review. Finally, in a face-to-face discussion within ICAR MedCom consensus was reached on October 11th 2019, at the ICAR fall meeting in Zakopane, Poland. Conclusions Multiple trauma management in mountain environments can be demanding. Safety of the rescuers and the victim has priority. A crABCDE approach, with haemorrhage control first, is central, followed by basic first aid, splinting, immobilisation, analgesia, and insulation. Time for on-site medical treatment must be balanced against the need for rapid transfer to a trauma centre and should be as short as possible. Reduced on-scene times may be achieved with helicopter rescue. Advanced diagnostics (e.g. ultrasound) may be used and treatment continued during transport.

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Spinal injury in alpine winter sports: a review

Cited by 18 publications

References 56 publications

Injuries in alpine summer sports - types, frequency and prevention: a systematic review

Injuries in alpine summer sports - types, frequency and prevention: a systematic review

Incidence and Epidemiology of Thoracolumbar Spine Fractures: WFNS Spine Committee Recommendations

Multiple trauma management in mountain environments - a scoping review

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