Abstract
Abstract: Aim/Objective: To present the epidemiological and clinical
effects of skiing training and use of protective equipment on skiing,
sledding and snowboarding injuries. Material and method: This study was
conducted prospectively in the emergency department of a tertiary
hospital. The patients were evaluated in two groups according to both
their skiing experience and use of protective equipment. The
characteristics of the patients, such as age, gender, injury area, and
injury type were statistically evaluated according to the groups.
Results: A total of 191 patients, 68 (35.6%) female and 123 (64.4%)
male, were evaluated. There was a significant difference between the
skiing type of the patients with and without skiing experience
(p=0.000). When the patients were evaluated according to the presence of
protective equipment, 25 (59.5%) patients who had no experience did not
wear protective equipment, and this rate was statistically significant
compared to the experienced group (p=0.000). Concerning the diagnoses of
the patients according to injury areas, joint dislocation and soft
tissue trauma were mostly detected in the upper extremities, bone
fractures in the lower extremities, and organ injury in the thorax.
Conclusion: Shoulder and wrist traumas were the most common injuries
among the patients with skiing experience while tibial fractures were
mostly seen in those without such experience. Tibia fractures were
mostly observed in the patients using protective equipment, and skin
incisions in those that did not use protective equipment. Therefore, in
winter sports injuries, patients’ skiing experience and protective
equipment use should be questioned and more attention should be paid to
the above-mentioned injuries.