What kind of snowboarder gets hurt most often?

[thursday 1]

Article from Reuters

 

Quote:

Lock your feet onto a snowboard, and you can expect to fall. But whether or not a fall results in a broken wrist or separated shoulder depends on a lot of factors -- including just how you go down.

 

Based on information from nearly 2,000 upper extremity fractures and dislocations, researchers in Japan found that snowboarders lacking licensed instruction accounted for 9 out of every 10 injuries -- the largest portion of which were to the wrist from a backward fall.

 

"Many snowboarders think that because the surface is made of snow, it will always be soft," Gregg Davis, a snowboarding instructor at Breckenridge Ski and Ride School in Colorado, noted in an email to Reuters Health. "Most of the time the surface is quite hard and can lead to a strong impact on the extremities," added Davis, who was not involved in the study.

 

Previous studies have shown that about half of all snowboarding injuries occur to the upper extremities. However, no one ever teased apart the influences of snowboarding stances and fall directions.

 

Dr. Kei Miyamoto of Gifu University in Japan and colleagues looked for such details in the records of snowboarders treated for injuries at a Japanese hospital between 2000 and 2008 -- shortly after the sport's 1998 Olympic debut in Nagano, Japan, and subsequent rise in popularity.

 

After excluding injuries from jumps, half-pipe and collisions, they identified 1,918 fractures and dislocations of the wrist, arm, elbow or shoulder. According to the investigators, about 1 out of every 50,000 snowboarder visits to their local Okumino ski area resulted in one of these injuries. Statistics show that U.S. ski mountains welcome approximately 60 million snowboarder visits each year, with 4 to 7 of every 1,000 visits resulting in some type of injury.

 

"Most of the injuries occur when new snowboarders try to teach themselves or have friends show them how to do it instead of an instructor," noted Davis. "Just a single day's lesson makes all the difference."

 

Miyamoto's team reports that most of the injured snowboarders (88 percent) had not taken snowboarding lessons from a licensed instructor. Only about 12 percent did. Most of the injured snowboarders were beginners.

 

The researchers found that shoulder and upper arm injuries typically resulted from the front edge of the snowboard catching the snow and the rider falling forward, while wrist and elbows were more likely hurt with a backward fall. Both fall directions were nearly equally likely, report the researchers in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

 

They also found that it did not matter whether the snowboarder slid down the mountain with their left or right foot forward; the latter technique is dubbed "goofy" and is more likely used by a left-handed rider.

 

"Most of the wrist fractures occurred on the side opposite to the sliding direction, while most of the shoulder dislocations, upper arm fractures, and elbow fractures and dislocations occurred on the same side as the sliding direction," Miyamoto told Reuters Health.

 

Snowboarders' wrists sustained half of all injuries. The finding jives well with Davis' 18 years of experience as an instructor at Breckenridge: The few injuries he has seen were "almost entirely" to the wrist due to falling back and bracing with the hands on the snow, he said.

 

One of the first things Davis teaches his students is to curl their fingers into their hands. "This helps to keep new riders from using the palms to contact the snow," he said. "Instead it spreads potential impacts to the forearms and the entire body when falling."

 

If a snowboarder falls forward, a headfirst baseball slide works well, adds Miyamoto. For a graceful and injury-free backward fall, Miyamoto suggests taking a cue from the martial art, judo: hit the snow with your back side, arms at your sides, and with a slight jump into the fall at the moment your body loses its balance.

 

SOURCE: http://link.reuters.com/quh82m

 

There you go. Takes lessons on how to fall.

[Jynxx 4]

hahaha you musta picked this topic for me.

Took a lesson on my 3rd day in Italy but never got taught how to fall.

If 3 years of compulsory high school judo isn't enough for falling lessons, then I don't think a day's instruction on falling lesson isn't going to make much of a difference.

(I had epic falls on skis but never broken a thing except for the ski hitting me and having to get stitches from the cut.)

Snowbording first season on my 13th day, I fell on my wrist and fractured it. Having a Level BioMex wrist guard won't help if you fall on top of it, but could have been worse without. Second season on my 10th day, I went OFF and fractured my elbow. I think the answer to this topic is a bit more complex than it seems. Other than the obvious, snowboarders' injury tendency is wrist/elbow/shoulder (you can say knees for skiers' or ankle for canopy flyers) this article doesn't convince me. I'm all for getting lessons like I said in past posts, but injury prevention?

[HelperElfMissy 42]

Sometimes the most frustrating injuries come from the simplest things. Something you have done a thousand times but that particular time it doesn't work for you.

 

Stuff happens.

Hopefully bodies heal.

Cub #3 and Mama are in physio at the moment - so I have a keen appreciation of avoiding or mitigating injury where possible.

 

What I am most bemused about is THURSDAY....posting a 'help a snowboarder to not get injured' post. I thought you were more likely to shove us off piste and out of your way Thurs?

[Jynxx 4]

The most frustrating injuries are the ones that reminds you that it's there for a long time after, you can feel it and it hurts.

But sometimes new injurioes actually stimulates other old ones and help heal them.

I am not going to live my life avoiding injuries.

[mitchpee 10]

Originally Posted By: Mamabear

Sometimes the most frustrating injuries come from the simplest things. Something you have done a thousand times but that particular time it doesn't work for you.

Stuff happens.
Hopefully bodies heal.
Cub #3 and Mama are in physio at the moment - so I have a keen appreciation of avoiding or mitigating injury where possible.

What I am most bemused about is THURSDAY....posting a 'help a snowboarder to not get injured' post. I thought you were more likely to shove us off piste and out of your way Thurs?

MB I am sure there is some diabolical plan. Maybe he wants people to get confidence from this article and then go hurt themselves?

[thursday 1]

don't let the cat out of the bag

[Tubby Beaver 209]

Quote:

right foot forward; the latter technique is dubbed "goofy" and is more likely used by a left-handed rider.

Is ths true? I ride goofy but I'm right handed. I always just assumed that I rode that way because I'm left footed, didn't think the hands had anything to do wth it

[HelperElfMissy 42]

6 right handers in our house and only two natural riders.

I think they made presumptions.

[sand 17]

I'm right handed and right footed and when on a single board ride goofy.

I think you're right MB about the presumptions

[Thundercat 60]

Ok, so 88% of those injured had not taken any lessons... what percent of those who didn't get injured had not taken lessons? This study cannot draw any conclusions at all based on the research that was conducted. All this tells us is that if someone is injured there is an 88% chance they had not taken lessons... it doesn't tell us that we are more likely to be injured if we don't take lessons. And getting advice from snowboard instructors on whether or not we should take lessons? Gee, I wonder what they are going to say!

 

Quite a crap study actually.

[thursday 1]

Here's the abstract. As you can see, it's a top class piece of work:

 

Quote:

Characteristics of Upper Extremity Injuries Sustained by Falling During Snowboarding: A Study of 1918 Cases

 

Koun Yamauchi, MD

Matsunami General Hospital

 

Kazuhiko Wakahara, MD, PhD

Gero Hot Spring Hospital

 

Masashi Fukuta, MD

Matsunami General Hospital

 

Kazu Matsumoto, MD, PhD

Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine

 

Hiroshi Sumi, MD

Sumi Memorial Hospital

 

Katsuji Shimizu, MD, DMSc

Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine

 

Kei Miyamoto, MD, PhD(kei@bg8.so-net.ne.jp)

Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine

 

Abstract

 

Background: Little epidemiological research on characteristics of upper extremity injuries resulting from snowboarding has been conducted, particularly in relation to snowboarding stance, falling direction, and the side of the body where the injury occurs.

 

Hypothesis: Snowboarding stance and the direction of the fall may influence the frequency of the side or the location of the upper extremity injury.

 

Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.

 

Methods: This study analyzed the information obtained from 1918 patients with fractures or dislocations of the upper extremity (excluding the fingers and scapula) sustained during snowboarding/sliding between 2000 and 2008. Diagnosis, injured part and side, stance (regular or goofy), and falling directions were prospectively analyzed. Associations among these parameters were also analyzed.

 

Results: As characterized by skill level, patients were beginners (57.9%), intermediates (38.0%), and experts (4.0%). Eighty-eight percent had not received instruction from licensed instructors. Diagnoses included wrist fractures (53.7%), upper arm fractures (16.8%), shoulder dislocations (11.5%), and elbow dislocations (9.8%). In sum, 1742 (90.8%) patients were in regular stance when they fell, whereas 176 (9.2%) were in goofy stance. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of the injured side between the 2 stances. When the injured sides were classified according to the sliding direction, wrist fractures (61.7%) occurred on the side opposite the sliding direction, whereas shoulder dislocations (65.6%), upper arm fractures (82.9%), and elbow dislocations (79.8%) occurred on the same side as the sliding direction. When the injured sides were classified according to the falling direction, wrist fractures (68.1%) and elbow dislocations (63.5%) occurred because of backward falls, and shoulder dislocations (68.9%) and upper arm fractures (60.7%) occurred because of forward falls.

 

Conclusion: Two snowboarding stances as well as 2 falling directions had a significant influence on the frequency of the injured side in the upper extremity.

[Thundercat 60]

Oh, I see. So the study has nothing to do with the article that was written... the article's hypothesis is that not taking snowboarding lessons will lead to more injury while the researchers' hypothesis is that snowboarding stance will lead to different types of injury...

 

You're right Thursday, its not the study that is crap... its the article that is crap!

[HelperElfMissy 42]

wonder if there is a correlation between the color of your snowboard pants and how often you fall and injure yourself.

 

I would hazard a guess there are probably TWICE as many injuries to people who wore black pants then to all the other colors combined....

[Ross 4]

You would think its the snow boarder that crashes the most would get hurt the most often.would not like to be him or her

[kintaro 0]

For me it was not knowing the ski-jo. Took the first lift of the morning at Appi Kogen and didn't know the course I chose had mogles..covered by fresh powder (not good for snow boarders). I took a left, a mogul caught me and my body went right and I actually heard my leg snap. Took off my boot and a bit of bone was poking out of my skin. Three months with a cast from toes to top of leg. Hate mogles!

[thursday 1]

shit. Painful? I bet it was so painful you didn't feel a thing.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

My thoughts exactly Thursday [the S word].

Kintaro - WOW!

Glad you have recovered.

 

I think I would have really hit the panic button if I saw bone sticking out of my skin or the skin of any of my family!

[kintaro 0]

Actually, the clinic I was first ambulanced to couldn't handle the job so I had to drive 3 hours home to Sendai to get to Tohoku Daigaku Hospital. Luckily my buddy drove my car and I drank whisky to try to kill the pain.

 

I spent 3 months unable to ride in car (leg didn't bend), showering on the floor with a garbage bag on my cast......wasn't a fun time!

[Jynxx 4]

I've broken 6 in the last 8 years and breaking leg bone is a hassles especially with showers. I hate casts. I usually end up cutting bits and pieces off from the cast, eventually into a 2 piece cast that can be taken off and re-bandaged so I can shower, air, scratch ...

Out of ski, skydiving, speedriding, b.a.s.e, paragliding and snowboarding, I got one ankle fracture from a botched base landing and 2 from snowboarding on my arm. I feel snowboarding is pretty extreme out of the lot. (mind you, base will kill you sooner or later)

I often thought about the mind-set, preparation in all aspects and element of surprise concerning injuries in those sports.

 

Regarding Kintaro-san's situation, I agree. Sus out the first run on any mountain. With mogules, some mogules are doable, some are really shitty. I find if it is consistant, not too big, not too steep, covered with a bit of snow, not ice, I can do it. Shorter boards are easier to snake through. Longer boards need soft knees and speed control. Do I like mogules? No way!

[kintaro 0]

This thread is bringing back memories. When the docs sawed off my cast what I saw was shocking. Atrophy sets in quickly. I looked down at a skinny Mr. Burns from the Simpsons looking leg with gross dead flaky skin (sorry folks). Rather disgusting. Took another month to be able walk withought crutches. Cloudy weather still brings pain for whatever reason.

 

Jinxx, you live a life on the edge. I've gone skydiving once on the North Shore but b.a.s.e, paraglyding, speed riding aren't on my repetoir. I'm going to have to expand.

[Ross 4]

Jynnx not trying to get off subject but what is speed riding?

[Jynxx 4]

The skydivers used to call it Ground launching. Using a skydiving canopy, you run down a hill, often ending as a cliff and fly down hugging the terrain. Nowdays, Speedflying is the term, and some use it to call it inclusive of launching on skis (have seen it done on snowboard, too, but sideways is a bit tricky)

Most canopy fliers call it Speedriding when it's done on skis.

Done this way, the canopy is used to hop over rocks, go off cliffs and land where you can make turns...

People with backgrounds in skydiving, base, paragliding and ski get into it and each have a style, or flying they prefer. The canopy can be skydiving based or mini-paragliders.

[Jynxx 4]

Hey, back on subject about the natural and goofy.

I ride natural on a snowboard but on a longboard (skate) I'm goofy.

[panhead_pete 27]

Being a scientist I love these studies.

 

Its conclusive that in western nations showers are the cause of all cancer. Research has shown that 100% of cancer sufferers in these nations have taken regular showers, yes even the English. Therefore, it must be the showers....

 

As for you guys riding goofy, it sure would be nice on those bigger days in Indo on the lefts but on the snow, does it really matter?

[Jynxx 4]

Could be all that Chlorine in mist and gas, coming out of the shower. I know an Aussie guy who gets pickled taking 5 showers a day. Might as well be a gas chamber.