Management of injuries in snowboarders: rehabilitation and return to activity

Abstract

Snowboarding has seen a continuous increase in popularity, leading to an increase in the number of snowboarding injuries seen in orthopedic practice. Upper-extremity injuries are more common than lower-extremity, spine, and pelvis injuries. In this review, we focus on the most common snowboarding injuries of the extremities, spine, and pelvis and provide an overview of their respective rehabilitation and return-to-sport protocols. Despite many of the injuries seen in snowboarding also occurring in other sports, objective data about rehabilitation and return to sport are lacking for many injuries. This provides an opportunity for research in the area with regard to many sports and many different injuries.

Epidemiology of Clavicle Fractures Sustained at a Colorado Ski Resort

“…Our study found that clavicle fractures in skiers made up 2.8% of total injuries as compared with prior findings of 2.2%, 1 while clavicle fractures in snowboarders were 3.4% of total injuries compared with 0.8% to 5% noted in other studies. 1,8,14,31 Consistent with prior clavicle fracture data, we found that the midclavicle was the most commonly fractured portion of the bone. 3,5,6,13,18,25 In our study, midclavicle fractures accounted for approximately 85% of all clavicle fractures.…”

“…Our study found that clavicle fractures in skiers made up 2.8% of total injuries as compared with prior findings of 2.2%, 1 while clavicle fractures in snowboarders were 3.4% of total injuries compared with 0.8% to 5% noted in other studies. 1,8,14,31…”

“…Based on prior studies, it is not surprising that snowboarders were more likely to injure the clavicle as snowboarders injure the upper extremities more frequently than skiers. 4,8,14,16,19,27 This is likely because the lower extremities are strapped in and do not eject the athlete during a snowboarding fall as they do in skiing, leading to more direct falls onto the upper extremities or the upper axial skeleton. According to the SIA Participation Report from 2014-2015, male snowboarders make up about 24% of the total downhill snow sports participants and 60% of the snowboarding participants nationally.…”

Static and Dynamic Balance and Injury Prevalence in Snowboard Instructors

“…The upper extremity is injured nearly twice as often in snowboarding than skiing, with approximately 50% of injuries involving this region, and fractures occur more than twice as often as in alpine skiers (Kim, Endres, Johnson, Ettlinger, & Shealy, 2012;Mirhadi, Ashwood, & Karagkevrekis, 2015). Wrist injuries, particularly fractures, are the most common snowboarding injuries, while knee injuries are usually less severe, with one study reporting a complete ligament rupture in only 2 of 62 reported knee injuries (Helmig, Treme, & Richter, 2018). Beginners are at an increased risk of wrist injuries, mostly due to frequent falls, and experts tend to have more ankle injuries, often associated with freestyle maneuvers, and requiring medical attention (Ogawa, Sumi, H., Sumi, Y., & Shimizu, 2010).…”