Recommendations to Prevent and Manage Snowboarder Injuries in the FIS Snowboard World Cup

Ko, Kyoung Wan; Kim, Tae Hoon; Cha, Kyoung Chul; Cha, Yong Sung; Park, Kyung Hye; Sun, Kyung Hoon; Kim, Hyun; Hwang, Sung Oh; Lee, Kang Hyun

J Korean Soc Emerg Med > Volume 27(1); 2016 > Article

Original Article

Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2016;27(1): 92-97.

Recommendations to Prevent and Manage Snowboarder Injuries in the FIS Snowboard World Cup

Kyoung Wan Ko², Tae Hoon Kim², Kyoung Chul Cha¹, Yong Sung Cha¹, Kyung Hye Park³, Kyung Hoon Sun³, Hyun Kim¹, Sung Oh Hwang¹, Kang Hyun Lee¹

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju, Republic of Korea
²Busan Baik Hospital, College of Medicine, Inje University, Busan, Republic of Korea
³Haeundae Paik Hospital, College of Medicine, Inje University, Busan, Republic of Korea

Correspondence

Kang Hyun Lee ,Tel: 033) 741-1612, Fax: 033) 742-3030, Email: ed119@yonsei.ac.kr,

Received: August 18, 2015; Revised: August 18, 2015 Accepted: October 26, 2015. Published online: February 29, 2016.

ABSTRACT

Purpose:
Snowboarding accidents may cause severe injury due to the advanced skills required of Olympic athletes and the faster speed compared to many other sports. The aim of this study was to describe environmental characteristics of snowboarding injuries and to determine the level of medical support using injury analysis.
Method:
A descriptive epidemiology study was conducted with collection of data from the Fe´de´ration Internationale de Ski (FIS) Snowboard Competition from January 14 to 24 in 2009. Data from the Competition Operation Committee records, medical records and competition regulations were selected for analysis.
Results:
In this study, 31/524 competitors reported injuries, predominantly sprains and contusions (21 cases), including eight fractures. Analysis of the physical distribution of these injuries indicated ten injuries of an upper extremity (32%), seven of a lower extremity (23%), six in the head/neck region (19%), and five spinal injuries (16%). The majority (23/31) of these injuries occurred during the snowboard cross (SBX) events. Environmental factors including the course visibility and slope conditions impacted the frequency of injury during the competition. In addition, the arrival times of medical teams were longer for the SBX events (260±92 sec) than for the Parallel Giant Slalom (202±54 sec) and other snowboarding events (<60 sec).
Conclusion:
The frequency and severity of injuries were highest in the SBX competition. For injury prevention, we recommend increased focus on safety on the SBX course, consideration of weather and other environmental conditions, and a rapid emergency medical support response for injury management.

Key words: Skiing, Wounds and injuries, Prevention, Medical staff, Environment