Winter sports injuries and risk: some recommendations from experts of the Spanish Society of Sports Traumatology.

- The likelihood of injury is 3.9 injuries in 1000 skiers per day

- SETRADE recommend a good physical preparation and technique, but also enough rest before skiing

This year, cold and low temperatures have arrived in advance. When the mercury drops, the snow makes its first appearance, and that is when it is the start of winter sports, gaining particular prominence sports like skiing.

Many modalities practiced but the most popular and suitable for all ages are downhill skiing and snowboarding. The Society of Sports Traumatology (SETRADE) ensures that each of these activities require some physical demands and injury risks involves some very different.

Needless to say, when you start the ski season, many fans are thinking that too without throwing a track without fulfilling the conditions suitable for this sport that can be carried out in complete safety.

To SETRADE, one of the most basic measures to prevent injuries is standard practice throughout the year some kind of physical activity, to strengthen and maintain lists the most vulnerable when skiing (legs, arms and spine).

Emphasize that downhill skiing is more common in the ski resorts, although it requires a good physical condition and technique. Given that an estimated 200 million people worldwide practice the sport, the likelihood of injury is 2.6 to 3.9 injuries per 1,000 skiers per day. This high rate of injuries means that skiing is a sport with a higher risk lesion. "Most injuries in skiing are produced as a result of lack of fitness of the athlete. Because it is a seasonal sport and is not practiced all year, the risk of injury is more significant trauma in other sports. Skiing requires a physical and a specific training that few fans realize, "says Dr. Marchori Sanchez, president of the Society of Sports Traumatology.


To avoid suffering these injuries, the Society of Sports Traumatology (SETRADE) recommended before putting the skis:

- A good physical preparation throughout the year, playing some kind of activity, which mainly involve the joints, spine, limbs ...

- Technical preparation prior to acquiring a good command should take lessons with a specialized monitor.

- Availability of proper ski equipment in good condition, with good bindings and glasses covered with glass screen UVA rays to prevent eye injuries and use sunscreen to avoid sunburn.

- A warm up session to skiing including flexibility exercises joint. The intensity of physical exertion during progressive skiing is heated while the joints in the early downs.

- Ski slopes on the evolution of other skiers to avoid collisions.

- Let the physical activity to note the first signs of fatigue.

- Rest enough. In case of injury at the last minute of the day, may be due to fatigue or by lack of sleep or excessive physical activity.


On the other hand, emphasized that the most common injuries suffered by skiers often the vertebral column, although the percentage of suffering a serious injury is very low. The upper extremities were also affected in the fall, while snowboarders suffer three times more likely than skiers. In this regard emphasize that children are the ones who suffer the most, reaching reach 79% of total injuries.

Another of the most characteristic lesions of skiers is the sprained thumb from ruptured ligaments. Is presented in 7-10% of those who practiced this sport, and occurs in a fall on the hand with a clenched fist holding a stick.

However, the lower end is where the majority of ski injuries, and frequent fractures of the tuberosity of the talus in the case of the practitioners of snowboarding and downhill skiing, the medial ligament sprain or injury the same in its proximal insertion (point of skiing), along with fractures of the tibia, are the most common.