Skiing, Snowboarding, and Sledding Injuries in a Northwestern State☆

Head Injuries in Winter Sports: Downhill Skiing, Snowboarding, Sledding, Snowmobiling, Ice Skating and Ice Hockey

“…2,3 Head injury incidence is estimated to be in the range of 0.77 to 3.8/100,000 ski visits, with most cases involving beginner or intermediate-level enthusiasts. 2,6 Head injuries are the leading cause of death in downhill skiing accidents, with an the average age of head-injured skiers of approximately 30 years, 1,4 but traumatic brain injury is also the leading cause of downhill skiing injury fatalities in children. 5 Head injury is also the most common diagnosis among child and adolescent skiers requiring admission to hospital.…”

“…18 Head-injured snowboarders tend to be an average of 3.6 to 6.3 years younger than their skiing counterparts, and are more likely to be male. 2,4 It is speculated that higher risk-taking behavior in younger males may be responsible for higher incidences of head injury. Most head injuries occur as a result of falls on mild to moderate slopes among beginner to intermediate-level participants.…”

“…4,7 Sledding is the winter activity most commonly associated with admission to hospital for children under 16 years of age, with head injury being the most common diagnosis. 7 The average age of a severely injured sledder is 18.8 plus or minus 11.9 years; 12 years younger than the average skier, and more than 5 years younger than the average snowboarder.…”

“…7 The average age of a severely injured sledder is 18.8 plus or minus 11.9 years; 12 years younger than the average skier, and more than 5 years younger than the average snowboarder. 4 More than half (59%) of injured children sledders are male. Injured children sledders are almost three times as likely to require hospital admission compared with children injured in other sports.…”

“…22,23 Although head injuries represent 13% of all sledding injuries in general, they account for 55% of severe sledding injuries. 4,22 In most pediatric studies examining sledding injuries requiring emergency department assessment, head/neck injuries are the most frequent type of injury. [24][25][26] Among childhood sledding injuries, younger children (%6 yrs) are more likely to experience head/neck trauma compared with older children, with a relative risk of 2.60 (P<.001).…”