Epidemiology and Risk Factors

Abstract

Skiing and snowboarding continue to be popular winter sports, drawing 55.1 million visits to United States ski areas in the 2006-2007 season.23 An estimated 6.4 million people participated in skiing and 5.2 million in snowboarding in the United States in 2006, which included almost 4 % of the population.24 The overall rate of skiing injuries has decreased over the last half century, from a reported 7.6 injuries per 1000 skier days in the 1950s to 3 injuries per 1000 skier days in the modern era.5,7,9,13,14,32 However, the prevalence of upper extremity injuries has increased since the 1980s and early 1990s.5,15,31 Warme et al32 reported that the ratio of upper extremity injuries to lower extremity injuries in skiers increased from 1:4 to 1:2 between 1982 and 1993. Likewise, Deibert et al7 reported that the incidence of skiing-related fractures involving the lower extremities have decreased in both children and adults, whereas upper extremity fractures have increased in children and have not significantly changed in adults. This phenomenon is likely due in part to advances in ski equipment that specifically protects the lower extremity and also in part due to changes in skiing style and terrain, such as glades, bowls, an