Information about project titled 'Injuries in alpine skiing related to age groups'
Injuries in alpine skiing related to age groups
| Details about the project - category | Details about the project - value |
|---|---|
| Project status: | Published |
| Project manager: | Stig Heir |
| Supervisor(s): | Arne Ekeland |
| Coworker(s): | Andreas Rødven, Tron Krosshaug |
Description
The purpose of the current study was to document the injury patterns in children (less than 12 years of age), adolescents ( 13-19 ) and adults (more than 20 ).
Method: A central ski patrol-based registration of alpine skiing injuries was performed by the Norwegian Ski Lift Association during the 4 winter seasons 1996/97 through 1999/00. The injured skiers were registered by age and nationality. Skiing ability was registered into 1of 4 categories according to self-reported ability to perform different turns. The site and type of injuries, as well as the use of helmet was registered. In this paper only injuries on alpine skies are reported.
Results: A total of 4548 alpine skiing injuries were recorded during the 4 seasons. 1042 (23%) of the injuries occurred in children, 1108 (24%) were adolescent injuries, and 2398 injuries (53%) occurred among adults. Eighty percent of the injured children were beginners or intermediate skiers, 20 % were advanced or expert skiers. The corresponding numbers for injured adolescents and adults were 68/32 and 58/42 respectively (p<0.001). In the children the most common injury sites were the lower leg (21.7%), the knee (20.5%) and the head (17.1%). In the adolescents the most common injury locations were the knee (24.4%), the head (19.6%) and the hand (12.3%). Among the adults the most common injury sites were the knee (31.1%), the head (15.3%) and the shoulder (14.5%). The most common type of injury was a contusion in all three age groups, counting for 41.4% of the injuries in children, 39.8% of the injuries in adolescents and 31.7% of the injuries in adults. Fractures were the second most common injury in children (25.5%) followed by distortions/sprains (21.9%), whereas distortions/sprains were the second most common injury in adolescents and adults (29.4% and 27.8% respectively), followed by fractures (17.4% and 20.8%). Sixty-six percent of the injured children were using helmets, whereas only 9.3% of the injured adolescents and 2.6% of the injured adults were using helmet (p<0.001).
In the present Norwegian multicenter study knees and head were main sites of injury in alpine skiers regardless of age. Fractures were a more common type of injury in children than among injured skiers of the older age groups.