Injuries, Ill-Health and Fatalities in White Water Rafting and White Water Paddling

Abstract

White water (WW) activities such as paddling (canoeing and kayaking) and rafting are popular sports for recreational and professional participants. An increase in participation has been seen worldwide. However, these activities come with a risk of injury and even death if not conducted safely. A review was conducted to identify the types of injuries and ill-health that occur as a result of these activities. Injury and fatality rates were assessed to establish the risk attributed to these activities. Web of Science, PubMed, Ergonomics Abstracts and PsycINFO databases were searched and a total of 16 published articles were identified and reviewed. The shoulders and back were the most vulnerable sites for injury in WW paddling. Injuries to the face and lower limbs were most common in WW rafters. However, injury rates are low and estimates are discussed. Due to different methods used across the studies, the reported injury rates are not comparable. This review identified three illnesses incurred through WW activities. There may be more but these are not currently reported in the literature. A relative paucity of studies regarding injuries and fatalities in WW activities was identified. Directions for future research are suggested and discussed.

Fatal river drowning: the identification of research gaps through a systematic literature review

“…Where there was not consensus, there was the possibility of a third reviewer (PAL); however, this was not required. Review papers (ie, papers that did not present primary data; n=1) 28 were excluded from this study. A hand-search technique was used to identify any additional primary data sources in the paper's references.…”

What to Do With 15 Years of Injury Data From a College Guide Training Diploma Program?

“…Suitable outdoor program and recreation or participant-oriented injury data were retrieved from several published sources. Comparison between data sets proved difficult (detailed in the Discussion section), a situation that echoes findings by Wilson et al (2013). The comparisons that follow utilize data that most align with the present data set.…”

“…These data are typically activity specific and often anchored in one locale. As a cross section of the many examples available, whitewater rafting and kayaking injury data have been reported in the United States (Fiore, 2003;Whisman & Hollenhorst, 1999) and United Kingdom (Wilson, McDermott, Munir, & Hogervorst, 2013). Rock climbing injuries have been reported (Jones, Asghar, & Llewellyn, 2008;Schöffl, 2010), as have skiing and snowboarding injuries (Langran, 2012;National Ski Areas Association [NSAA], 2015).…”

Injuries Incidents in Outdoor Courses

“…Řada autorů se zabývá bezpečností při různých sportovních aktivitách a zkoumáním mechanizmů vzniku zranění a jejich následků (Carter, Westerman, & Hunting, 2011;Ropret, 2014;Schöffl , Morrison, Schwarz, Schöffl , & Küpper, 2010;Wilson, McDermott, Munir, & Hogervorst, 2013). Problematikou úrazovosti při vysokoškolské výuce na vybraných amerických univerzitách se ve svém výzkumu zabývali Gaudio, Greenwald a Holton (2010).…”

“…Co se týče vodáckých aktivit, zde naše výsledky korespondují s novozélandským výzkumem, kde četnost zranění při jízdě na kajaku na divoké vodě byla 0,01 zranění/1000 hodin činnosti a 0,54 zranění/1000 hodin činnosti při raftingu na divoké vodě (Wilson et al, 2013).…”