Skiing injuries: what they are and how to prevent them

By Cristiano Antonino On Jan 14, 2023

Skiing is on the podium of the most popular winter sports. Competitive and recreational skiers alike flock to the ski slopes during the winter holidays and weekends in search of the perfect downhill run, but if you are not sufficiently trained and prepared, you run the risk of suffering injuries, which can range from minor to serious

Often, people who are untrained or unaccustomed to certain sporting gestures get on skis.

In such cases, skiing injuries can compromise the day or require long stops.

From lower to upper limbs, joints, bones and ligaments can be involved.

Depending on the traumatic energy, the level of injury severity also varies: low-energy injuries require only rest and observation, while when the energy increases, temporary immobilisations (braces, casts) and invasive treatments, up to and including surgery, are required.

There is a wide variety of injuries affecting winter sports participants: not only skiing, but also snowboarding, cross-country skiing or ski touring.

Each discipline, based on the type of muscular and articular commitment, has more ‘characteristic’ injuries.

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How to prevent skiing injuries: preparation and attention to the weather

It can happen that out-of-training people, who are not used to practising sports throughout the year, decide to go skiing in the winter months.

This is a risky habit, even in the case of amateur skiers who have been practising the sport for several years.

In the absence of training, in fact, muscles and joints may not be ready to cope with the gradients and irregularities of ski slopes, especially the most complex ones.

For this reason, those who enjoy skiing should consider preparatory training before starting the ski season.

Alternatively, it is useful to start the day with easy pistes and calmly ‘brush up’ on basic physical and technical gestures, in order to become familiar with the element – snow – and with ski equipment.

Performing warm-up exercises before starting to ski is another good idea.

Even those who regularly practise sports throughout the year should not be exempt from these precautions.

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Beginners who find themselves for the first – or first – times on the ski slopes must rely on the guidance of professionals to teach them the basics of skiing

It is the ski instructors – essential for understanding how to get around the first few times – who teach, among other things, how to fall and get up.

Once ready to hit the slopes, all skiers must pay special attention to the weather and snow conditions.

In fog or heavy snowfall, visibility can be poor; ‘fresh’ snow can create difficulties for the less experienced.

In these conditions, it is better to wait for the weather to improve or give up.

In the morning, light and snow quality tend to be better.

In the afternoon, on the other hand, the snow tends to become more dangerous, both because it is moved and brought back by the continuous passage of skis, and because it melts, becoming ‘heavier’ and more tiring to ski.

Moreover, in the afternoon, tiredness sets in and reflexes are not the same as in the early morning.

Ski equipment in good condition and respect for the rules

It is essential to follow safety rules to avoid hurting yourself and others.

Therefore, it is necessary to:

keep a moderate speed
pay attention to other skiers, especially children
avoid skiing after drinking alcohol
do not venture ‘off-piste’ unless practised
maintain distances that allow you to change direction or stop if necessary
rescue other skiers in difficulty, without endangering your own safety as well

It is also important to use ski equipment that is in good condition: skis and boots must have been serviced before being used, referring to a specialised centre.

Skis must be adapted to the user’s build, weight and ability: it is always best to seek advice.

It is also important to equip oneself with safety devices (helmet, back protector and gloves with protection), which are not (yet) compulsory in Italy, but which represent an investment in one’s own safety.

Knee and shoulder: the most common skiing injuries

Knees

The district most involved in skiing injuries is the knee.

It is particularly stressed due to the type of movement and because of the new materials: these on the one hand make skiing easier, on the other hand they concentrate a lot of energy on the knee itself, subjecting it to significant stress as soon as it loses control.

That is, a sprain is produced that overloads the ligaments, with damage increasing as the energy increases: partial injury, complete injury, association with fractures.

The anterior cruciate ligament is the most involved, followed by the collateral ligaments and fractures of the tibial plateau (especially lateral).

Shoulders

Another joint particularly exposed to trauma when falling on skis is the shoulder.

It can in fact be hit directly or suffer the indirect energy of a fall with the arm extended.

There are several traumas involving it.

The head of the humerus and the glenoid cavity of the scapula can separate, causing a so-called shoulder dislocation.

The acromioclavicular joint may be involved, with varying degrees of dislocation, again depending on the energy concentrated locally.

Again, the proximal humerus may fracture. Finally, trauma and fractures involving the clavicle may occur.

From ‘skier’s thumb’ to whiplash: other snow injuries

When we fall, we often tend to put our hands in front of us to protect ourselves.

Falling with open hands can lead to sprains and fractures, either in the wrist, hand or elbow.

In snowboarding, these pathologies are more frequent.

As far as skiing is concerned, one of the most common hand injuries is known as ‘skier’s thumb’: it is caused by a fall with violent pushing of the pole against the metacarpophalangeal joint.

This causes an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament, which varies in degree depending on the extent of the trauma.

More violent trauma, at high speed or against a fixed obstacle or due to the sum of the speeds of two skiers may result in a summation of the injuries described or cause more serious situations.

Frequent in this respect are leg fractures, where the ‘leverage’ exerted by the boot plays a role.

Head injuries (for which it is essential to use a helmet), cervical sprains (the well-known ‘whiplash’), involvement of the chest and abdomen, or combinations of several fractures lead to more critical scenarios and require the intervention of more intensive and rapid assistance (generally helicopter rescue).

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