Injuries in alpine summer sports - types, frequency and prevention: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction Summer alpine sports, including mountain biking, hiking and airborne pursuits, have experienced a recent surge in popularity. Accordingly, trauma associated with these activities has increased. There is a scarcity of literature exploring clinical aspects surrounding injuries. Specifically, no single article provides a general overview, as individual studies tend to focus on one particular sport. In the present study, we performed a systematic literature review to summarize existing knowledge and explore the potential for prevention and clinical decision making in this group. Method Literature searches were performed using the PubMed and Scopus database for the most commonly ventured sports associated with injury: mountain biking, climbing, airborne sports, paragliding, and base jumping. From this search, studies were identified for qualitative and quantitative analyses. These searches were done according to PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. Studies were then analyzed regarding epidemiology of injuries, relevant anatomical considerations and prevention strategies were discussed. Results A broad spectrum of injury sites and mechanisms are seen in mountain biking, climbing or airborne sports. Mountain biking related injuries commonly involve the upper extremity, with fractures of the clavicle being the most common injury, followed by fractures of the hand and wrist. Scaphoid fractures remain of paramount importance in a differential diagnosis, given their often subtle clinical and radiological appearance. Paragliding, skydiving, and base jumping particularly affect transition areas of the spine, such as the thoracolumbar and the spinopelvic regions. Lower limb injuries were seen in equal frequency to spinal injuries. Regarding relative risk, mountain biking has the lowest risk for injuries, followed by climbing and airborne sports. Male alpinists are reported to be more susceptible to injuries than female alpinists. Generally, the literature surrounding hiking and water-related mountain sports is insufficient, and further work is required to elucidate injury mechanisms and effective preventative measures. A helmet seems to decrease the likelihood of face and head injuries in mountain sports and be a meaningful preventive measurement.

Sex-specific analysis of hiking accidents in the Austrian Alps: a follow-up from 2015 to 2021

“…However, the number of fatal hiking accidents in the Austrian Alps has remained relatively stable (<10%) over the investigated time period and compared to data from scientific literature [5] , [7] . A similar trend has been shown for fatal accident outcomes in other mountain sports such as mountain climbing [14] ; concerning mountain biking, the results from literature seem to be inconsistent [15] , [16] . In the present study, men suffered from multiple types of injuries and cardiovascular events more frequently, whereas women were more likely to sustain fractures mostly involving the lower body (e.g., the ankle or foot).…”

“…Furthermore, we can confirm the analysis of the previous 9-year period with the finding that men were more likely to have hiking accidents in pathless terrains, which has been previously shown to be fatal often [7] . This might be related to a possible enhanced risk-taking behavior in men, especially in male summer alpinists [16] , [21] . However, this has mostly been investigated in mountain sports other than hiking (i.e., mountain running or climbing) [22] .…”

A systematic review protocol of injuries and illness across all the competitive cycling disciplines, including track cycling, mountain biking, road cycling, time trial, cyclocross, gravel cycling, BMX freestyle, BMX racing, e-sport, para-cycling and artistic cycling

“…[5] Studies have shown that cyclists are not immune to injury or illness. [2,[17][18][19][20][21] The range of injuries and illnesses that do occur is vast, however, the reporting of injuries varies signi cantly with a signi cant lack of homogeneity between studies and disciplines. [2,4] Injury and Illness surveillance studies in other sports are far more advanced and have seen the development of speci c warm-up routines to reduce injury risk such as FIFA 11 [22]in soccer, and Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) 15 [23] in Gaelic games.…”

A systematic review protocol of injuries and illness across all the competitive cycling disciplines, including track cycling, mountain biking, road cycling, time trial, cyclocross, gravel cycling, BMX freestyle, BMX racing, e-sport, para-cycling and artistic cycling.

“…[5] Studies have shown that cyclists are not immune to injury or illness. [2,[17][18][19][20][21] The range of injuries and illnesses that do occur is vast, however, the reporting of injuries varies signi cantly with a signi cant lack of homogeneity between studies and disciplines. [2,4] Injury and Illness surveillance studies in other sports are far more advanced and have seen the development of speci c warm-up routines to reduce injury risk such as FIFA 11 [22]in soccer, and Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) 15 [23] in Gaelic games.…”