Both skiing and snowboarding sit at the top of the ranks for sports and leisure activities that have the most reported injuries. In 2018, the combination of skiing and snowboarding had almost 130,000 injuries. Sledding had only 22,000 reported injuries.
January is the most popular and busiest month for skiers and snowboarders across America. Before you gear up and hit the slopes, keep safety in mind and prevent an injury from affecting your season. Here is a short list of the most common skiing and snowboarding injuries, followed by ways to prevent and/or treat them.
Head injuries
Head injuries may not be the most common injuries in skiing and boarding, but it’s the most life threatening.
Always Wear a Helmet
One of the key pieces of safety equipment skiers and boarders should wear is protective head gear. Helmet usage for the sport of skiing and snowboarding is becoming more and more necessary. Large numbers of ski resorts are strictly enforcing policies that require all guests wear helmets.
The majority of tested skiing helmets provide enough protection to reduce the chances of a serious concussion or external head injuries including like lacerations, penetrations and fractures.
Encourage Young Riders to Wear Helmets
The brain injury statistics presented by the attorneys at Knapp & Roberts in Phoenix, unveil an estimate of 812,000 children that were treated in hospital for a brain injuries in 2014. Adults can prevent the chance of a child brain injury by encouraging kids to always stick with the proper head gear for skiing, snowboarding or any activities where a child is at risk of falling or crashing.
ACL / Knee Injury
An ACL or knee injury is one of the most common injuries that can put a skier or a boarder off the slopes for a very long time. An ACL tear is a knee injury where a ligament is torn or sprained either by sudden movements, impacts or from being twisted.
These injuries can be very common and very painful with winter sports like skiing or even skating. Vermont Ski Safety reports that over 20,000 ACL related injuries occur annually.
Unfortunately, ACL injuries require a substantial amount of rehabilitation and surgery before going back to any type of physically demanding activities or sports. Normally a skier with an ACL injury will have to wait one year to go back to their activity.
Preventing an ACL Injury
- Work on proper techniques for skiing. This includes posture and balance.
- Never do anything that’s way above your level of skill
- If you need to fall, fall down with your knees bent. Do not try to catch yourself with your hands.
- Remember, to tuck your body when you wipe out
Broken Bones & Fractures
Falling is going to happen when you ski or board. It’s expected to occur every once in a while, with the newest riders and even the most advanced riders. However, a high percentage of unlucky individuals will face a broken bone or a fracture when they fall too hard.
Both snowboarders and skiers are very prone to bone fracturing and dislocation injuries. For snowboarders, the most common bone break is the arm and wrist. For skiers it’s more likely to happen in the leg region.
Like ACL tears, a broken bone can ruin the fun for the entire season. Here’s a few ways you could easily prevent a broken bone from happening:
Preventing Broken Bones
Fall the right way
- Don’t catch yourself with your hands
- Skiers should fall sideways. Snowboarders can fall on their back or on their front side with their arms tucked against their chest.
Wear the Right Gear
- Same companies that manufacture protective head gear also have wrist and knee guards
Warm Up & Stretch
- Never go aggressively at the beginning of a session. Start off easy.
- Gradually work your way to more intense activity
- It is recommended to stretch for at least 5 mins before you begin your session