Heads up Ski Safety
| It is estimated that each year in the USA there are about 60-65 million skier days? In this number we have grouped snowboarding, alpine skiers, and teleskiers. The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) reports this data. The reported fatality rate is approximately 0.80 per million participant days, which incidentally is about the same rate for serious injuries. The perception of skiing as a lighter risk sport is questionable especially in comparison to data from other sports. Although recent data is not readily available, historical data on swimming and cycling report fatalities for swimming at 1.26 per million and for cycling at .38 per million participant days, respectively. During the same time that this data was reported about 5900 pedestrians were killed and 31 died from lightning strikes. | ||||||||||||||||||
However, it's not really the fatalities with which we are concerned. It is really the injury rates on a day-to-day basis. Reporting methods vary between countries, as does the actual reporting of accidents. How many of us have tweaked something only to treat it ourselves and never report it anywhere. Data reported from the British Columbia injury research and prevention unit estimates that fractures and sprains account for @ 70% of hospitalization cases. This data is further broken down by anatomical location in Table 1. Data reported from Scotland shows these injuries only account for 60% of serious injuries in their database. Both data sets do report that the knee is the most common serious injury accounting for 25-35% of all injuries regardless of country in question. If we group knee injuries with overall leg injuries this number increases to 45-55% of all injuries, showing clearly that the main area for concern is the lower extremity. See Table 2. | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Of course the lower extremity has always been the cause for concern even though there has been a noticeable change in the injury profile. Advances in equipment design i.e. bindings and boots, moved the focus of penetration to the knee (away from the ankle and leg in general). However, the recent (~7-9 yrs) moves towards shorter skis has refocused the area of concern to mid-shaft tibial fractures. If we look at the data from the past 30-40 years, the most noticeable shift in injuries has been an increase in ACL injuries, even though this has actually declined in recent years (shorter skis). It is estimated that these numbers can be significantly reduced further if bindings are properly and professionally adjusted so as to prevent inadvertent releases. This of course is a simple and effective first step to reducing the chance of injury. The data is also interesting in that it shows that most skier groups are at risk for injury. As a general rule, men are less likely to get hurt, but the research shows that the following groups are at higher risk: beginners, advanced skiers, women, children, and skiers under 17 are twice as likely to suffer head and neck injuries. I don’t know about you but it looks to me like this list pretty much covers everyone. So, what are some other considerations one can take to reduce the likelihood of injury? | ||||||||||||||||||
Well beyond the obvious of wearing a helmet and properly fitted equipment, there are other behaviors that increase injury risk. Look at the following:
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| Collisions account for approximately 6% of ski injuries and almost exclusively involve excessive speed (coupled with lack of skill). Interestingly, speed injuries tend to occur more in more advanced skiers. In other areas, there is an increase in injuries just before lunchtime and later in the afternoon when fatigue and low energy play a larger role. There are also more injuries earlier in the ski-season when people are "out of practice." We all know that ski-patrol happens to be fairly busy during ‘last run heroics’ and it’s no secret that these tend to combine speed and fatigue, a wonderful combination if I say so myself. | ||||||||||||||||||
What Precautions Can I Realistically Take?
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| The nature of skiing is such that you will most likely get injured at some point in your ‘career’. However, we can reduce the likelihood that it is a serious injury by practicing a few common sense and a few not so common sense moves. The variables that we can most control are our fitness and the condition of our equipment. These should be well controlled. As a general observation: many injuries occur because of fatigue. Whether this is because you’re out of shape or just had a long day doesn’t really matter. You need to have your legs under control at all times. This often means shorter runs, more rest, or shorter days. Regardless, this sensible approach can allow you to last the season. Ski well my friends. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Article by Declan AJ Connolly Professor Director, UVM Human Performance Lab Web | ||||||||||||||||||
