title: A systematic video analysis of 69 injury cases in World Cup alpine skiing.
abstract: We have limited insight into how injuries occur in professional ski racing. The aim of this study was to describe the injury situations in World Cup alpine skiing. Injuries reported through the International Ski Federation Injury Surveillance System for three consecutive World Cup seasons (2006-2009) were obtained on video. In total, 69 injuries and 124 runs of matched controls were analysed by five experts to evaluate the skiing situation, skier behavior, as well as piste-related factors. A chi-square test (95% CI, P ≤ 0.05) was used to examine whether there was a difference between course sections regarding where the injury situation occurred. The skier was most frequently turning (n = 55) or landing from a jump (n = 13) at the time of injury. Most of the injuries to the head and upper body (96%) resulted from crashes, while the majority of knee injuries (83%) occurred while the skier was still skiing. Gate contact contributed to 30% of the injuries, while 9% occurred at contact with safety nets/material. Almost half of the injuries (46%) occurred in the final fourth of the course. A particular concern was the high contribution of inappropriate gate contact and the high-energy impacts to the body when crashing.
authors.affiliation: Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Department of Sports Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bere
authors.affiliation: Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Department of Sports Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Flørenes
authors.affiliation: Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Department of Sports Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krosshaug
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Performance, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Haugen
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Alpine Ski Team, Norwegian Ski Federation, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Svandal
authors.affiliation: Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Department of Sports Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nordsletten
authors.affiliation: Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Department of Sports Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bahr
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D019567:Back Injuries / Q000209:etiology; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000209:etiology; D007869:Leg Injuries / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement; D012865:Skiing / Q000293:injuries*; D019876:Sports Equipment / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000209:etiology; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000293:injuries; D014741:Video Recording
keywords: Alpine ski racing; World Cup skier; injuries; mechanisms; video recordings