Snowsport trauma and safety: Understanding and reducing the likelihood of injury in snowsports

Irving S. Scher, Jeremy Witchalls, Richard M. Greenwald, Nicola Petrone

Research output: Contribution to journalEditorialpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

This special issue of the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport is dedicated to the topic of understanding and reducing the likelihood of injury in snowsports. Skiing has long had a reputation for being a dangerous sport that attracts athletes with an adventurous spirit. In the early 1970s, a handful of international researchers made a concerted effort to reduce the incidence of skiing injuries. Even though it had not yet been published, researchers of that day followed steps that were true to the principles of the modern TRIPP model.1 In order to reduce the frequency of the most common and severe injury at that time (tibia and fibula fractures), researchers of that day: examined the injury patterns; proposed solutions that maintained the ethos of the sport (what became releasable ski bindings); used small scale studies to examine their best interventions, and examined closely the impact on injury rates. The results of this effort were a dramatic reduction in the incidence of lower leg fractures in skiing; in one long-term, prospective, case-controlled study in the USA, there was an 87% reduction in torsional fractures of the tibia and fibula between 1972 and 2006.2 More recent data suggests that the incidence of lower leg injuries in skiing continued to decline (overall by more than 93%) through 2015.3 Because snow sports equipment and its related injuries have changed significantly since the 1970s, other equipment (such as snowboards and alpine touring ski equipment), injuries (such as concussions and knee ligament tears), and injury modes (such as landing from snow park jumps) have become the focus of attention for snow sport researchers. The articles in this issue report the newest findings related to skiing and snowboarding safety.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-2
Number of pages2
JournalJournal of Science and Medicine in Sport
Volume22
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2019

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