Industry News
A recent study has found that with a rise in the popularity of skiing and snowboarding as fun winter sports, the number of skier and snowboarder injuries also continue to rise, and according to researchers, snowboarders are three times more likely than skiers to sustain injury.
Lead researcher Brett D. Owens from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Rhode Island said that skiing and snowboarding are associated with a large number of injuries, with specific patterns and anatomic areas affected.
“While some injuries are unavoidable, many are caused by skiers and snowboarders exceeding their comfort zone in either speed or technical challenges on the mountain. It is critical to stay in control and be prepared to slow and stop to avoid contact with another person on the slope,” Dr. Owens added.
The most common skiing and snowboarding injuries are to the spine, pelvis, shoulder, wrist, hands, knees, foot and ankle. Skiers are more likely to experience lower extremity injuries, especially to their knees, due to the rotational forces on the knee despite effective binding releases. Snowboarders are more likely to experience upper extremity injuries due to falls onto their hands.
They suggested pre-season conditioning and other tips to help winter sports athletes prevent bone and joint injuries.
“Snowsport athletes can best prepare for their sport with a general preseason conditioning program as well as familiarity and maintenance of equipment,” says Dr. Owens. The findings appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
As a mother of a competitive snowboarder- I believe the head injuries suffered by young snowboarders deserves more attention and study by the medical field and is under-reported. It would be extremely helpful to parents to know what risks their children are taking by participation it what seems to be more an extreme sport, than a youth league sport. I am not concerned by upper extremity injuries.
Bones heal but head injury as we are learning from football can have long lasting consequences.
>> the number of skier and snowboarder injuries also continue to rise
from the Natl Ski Area Assn 2017-18 fact sheet:
“… injuries from both skiing and snowboarding are on the decline. Dr.
Shealy’s most recent study, released in 2011, found that the rate of incidents for skiers has
been dropping steadily since 1980. ”
Catistrophic injuries are down as well. Also from the Natl Ski Areas Assn:
“The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) reports that during the 2016-17 season, there were 33
catastrophic injuries that occurred at U.S. ski areas during the 2016-17 season—which is significantly
below the ski industry’s 10-year average of 48 catastrophic injuries occurring at ski areas in the United
States, and the lowest catastrophic injury rate in the last 10 years. “
>> a rise in the popularity of skiing and snowboarding
Ha ha, no. Even the big 2016-17 season’s stats are below the 20 year average.
There’s ups and downs, but generally it hasn’t changed since the late 80s.