BackgroundAlpine skiing is one of the most popular winter sports in the world. Nevertheless, it has always been associated with a high risk of injury. There are however, only a few studies that have examined the risk of injury of competitive skiers, especially of the junior ski racers.MethodsThe inclusion criterion was an injury in alpine skiing resulting in a pause in training longer than one week. Athletes of all ages were included. The study period was from the start of the season of 2008–2009 to end of the season of 2009–2010 (two years).ResultsThe average annual number of ski racers in Finland was 661. There were 61 injuries (36 males with a median age of 14 years, 25 females with a median age of 14) fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Ligamentous knee injury was the most frequent (17) and lower leg fracture the second common (16) injury, respectively. There was a female dominance in the ACL injuries. Only one major abdominal injury and no major head injuries were observed. The overall training pause was 26 weeks after the ACL injury and 17 weeks after the lower leg fracture, respectively.ConclusionThe most common and most disabling injuries affect the knee and the lower leg. The high number of lower leg and ACL injuries is alarming. A continuous and careful monitoring of injuries needs to be established to assess this trend. A systematic review of injuries is the appropriate way to monitor the effects of changes made in terms of safety. The present retrospective two-year pilot study forms a base for a continuous alpine ski injury survey in Finland.

Background and Aims: the aim of this study was to provide information on incidences and severity of recreational alpine skiing and snowboarding injuries in northern finland and to discuss possible preventive measures to reduce the number and severity of injuries in the future.Materials and Methods: this retrospective study consists of all injured skiers and snowboarders in the levi Ski Resort during the 2006-2012 winter seasons. the levi Ski Resort has a SkIdata ® system which records automatically every ski-lift run taking place. the emergency system of the resort registers the data (conditions during the injury, patient characteristics, and observed and/or suspected injuries) of all injured persons they meet. the severity of injury is defined by the needed level of care: grade 1 (treated by the emergency system with no need for further referral), grade 2 (referral to the local primacy care clinic), grade 3 (transfer to hospital by ambulance), and grade 4 (transfer to tertiary care by helicopter).Results: during the 6-year study period, there were 29,576.132 lift runs and 2911 injuries were met by the emergency system, resulting in the average injury incidence of 0.98 injuries per 10,000 lift runs. Vice versa, the average number of the ski-lift rides needed to generate one injury was 10,160. the knee injuries of the skiers constituted almost onethird of all cases, whereas snowboarders sustained more injuries to the upper limb and axial areas.Conclusion: Skiing and snowboarding are related to a relatively high risk of injury. the most common injuries affect the knee in skiers and the upper extremity, especially the wrist, in snowboarders. a continuous and systematic review of injuries is needed to monitor the effects of changes made in terms of the safety.

Operative treatment of a pediatric tibia shaft fracture is currently nearly a rule in patients with open or multiple fractures. Surgical treatment of closed tibia shaft fractures is based on surgeon's personal preference, type of fracture and age of the patient.

Background and Aim: alpine skiing and snowboarding share the hazards of accidents accounting for tibial fractures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fracture patterns and mechanisms of injury of tibial fractures taking place in downhill skiing and snowboarding.Materials and methods: all patients with tibial fracture due to alpine skiing or snowboarding accident treated in four trauma centers next to the largest ski resorts in Finland were analyzed between 2006 and 2012. The hospital records were retrospectively reviewed for data collection: equipment used (skis or snowboard), age, gender, and mechanism of injury. Fractures were classified according to ao-classification.Results: There were 342 skiing and 30 snowboarding related tibial fractures in 363 patients. Tibial shaft fracture was the most common fracture among skiers (n = 215, 63%), followed by proximal tibial fractures (n = 92, 27%). snowboarders were most likely to suffer from proximal tibial fracture (13, 43%) or tibial shaft fracture (11, 37%). snowboarders were also more likely than skiers to suffer complex ao type c fractures (23% vs 9%, p < 0.05). adult skiers had both wider variety of fractures and higher prevalence of proximal tibial fractures compared to children (49% vs 16%, p < 0.05). skiers typically got injured due to falling down on the same level (70%) and snowboarders due to loss of control while jumping (46%). Conclusion:The most important finding was the relatively high number of the tibial plateau fractures among adult skiers. The fracture patterns between snowboarding and skiing were different; the most common fracture type in skiers was spiral tibial shaft

The reported incidence of premature physeal closure (PPC) in fractures of the distal tibia has varied between 5 and 36%, but there is no consensus on the cause. We wanted to determine incidence and predictors of PPC in distal tibia physeal fractures in a population-based patient cohort. Two hundred forty-one patients (195 Peterson type I–V fractures and 46 transitional fractures) treated for a physeal fracture of the distal tibia during a 5-year period in two tertiary-level teaching hospitals. Odds ratios (OR) for developing PPC for different parameters (Peterson fracture type, associated fibula fracture, primary and postreduction displacement, number of reductions and the method of treatment) were calculated by binary logistic regression analysis. In 195 children with Peterson type I–V fractures PPC was diagnosed in 21 children (11%), of which 11 (6%) had surgery at mean 14 months from the fracture to correct either angular deformity or leg length discrepancy. The incidence of distal tibia PPC is at least 0.05/1000 children. More than one reduction attempt was the most significant risk factor (OR 7.0) for PPC. Peterson fracture type, associated fibula fracture, initial or post-reduction displacement or type of treatment did not correlate with PPC. The incidence of distal tibia PPC is at least 0.05/1000 children. The number of reductions correlates positively with the risk of PPC.