Information about project titled 'Injuries in World Cup freestyle skiing - an epidemiological study'
Injuries in World Cup freestyle skiing - an epidemiological study
| Details about the project - category | Details about the project - value |
|---|---|
| Project status: | Published |
| Project manager: | Stig Heir |
| Supervisor(s): | Arne Ekeland |
| Coworker(s): | Rune Krieg |
Description
The aim of the study was to gather information concerning the incidence, type, and severity of injuries in World Cup freestyle skiing. All World Cup freestyle skiers, 190 men and 117 women, age 16-37 years were followed prospectively during the World Cup competitions and preceding official training for one season. The number of skiers skiing each day (skier days) was registered according to sex and skiing discipline. Injuries taking place were also registered daily. The injured skiers were followed to confirm exact diagnosis and to register the rehabilitation time.
Seventy-three injuries in 55 skiers were recorded during 8059 skier days, giving an incidence of 9.06 injuries/1000 skier days. The injury rate was significantly higher in aerials than in mogul skiing. 45% were knee injuries, and isolated ruptures to the medial collateral ligament alone counted for 31% of all injuries. Five of the injuries (15% of knee injuries) were ACL ruptures. Eleven percent of all injuries were tibial fractures or ankle sprains. The severity of the injuries, rated by the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS), ranged from 1-3 (mean 1.36). The injuries in mogul skiing were significantly more serious than in aerials. In 72% of the cases the rehabilitation time was less than 2 weeks. Fourteen of the injured skiers (25%) sustained new injuries throughout the season.
The rate of knee injuries, as well as the overall incidence of injuries in World Cup freestyle skiing was found to be higher than what has previously been reported for recreational skiing. However, the percentage of World Cup freestyle skiers that had to stop skiing for the rest of the season because of an injury (2.6%) was lower than that reported for World Cup alpine downhill skiers. The most common injury was rupture of the medial collateral ligament of the knee. Knowing that MCL injuries as well as other ligament injuries to the knee are associated with an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis of the joint, effort should be put into the work of preventing knee injuries in extreme skiing disciplines such as freestyle skiing.