title: Traumatic spinal cord injuries from snowboarding.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little information has yet been made available on the types and mechanisms of snowboard-related spinal cord injuries or their neurologic involvement.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To review the cause and types of spinal cord injuries seen in snowboarders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case series; Level of evidence, 4.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were 18 patients (mean age, 24.0 years) referred to the authors' institution for neurologic deficits associated with spinal injuries between November 1, 1995, and April 9, 2005. The clinical features of these patients were reviewed with respect to epidemiologic factors, mechanism of injury, fracture pattern, and neurologic status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 18 snowboarders with spinal cord injuries constituted a very homogeneous group. First, almost all patients (94.4%) were young men. Second, most of the patients were intermediate or expert boarders. Third, the most common cause of injury was a failure of intentional jumping (83.3%). Fourth, the most commonly affected site was the thoracolumbar junction (66.7%), and the most common type of fracture was an anterior dislocation fracture (66.7%). Finally, in the thoracolumbar group, most patients (83.3%) were classed as Frankel grade A or B.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is fundamentally important that snowboarders, especially young men, be made aware of the spinal injury risk associated with jumping.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Gifu University School of Medicine, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1194, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wakahara
authors.forename: Kazu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sumi
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sumi
authors.forename: Katsuji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimizu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012865:Skiing / Q000293:injuries*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology