Hip and Knee Dislocations in Extreme Sports: A Six Year National Epidemiologic Study

Abstract

Objectives: Participation in extreme sports has been rapidly increasing in the United States. These sports are associated with a significant risk of injury and even mortality. Hip and knee dislocations represent high impact injuries with potentially serious complications if not treated promptly. There is currently little literature describing the epidemiology of these injuries in extreme sports. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the incidence rates of hip and knee dislocations in 7 popular extreme sports using a publicly available database. Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System was used to determine estimated numbers of hip and knee dislocations in 7 extreme sports, from 2007-2012. The Outdoor Foundation data was used to determine participation in these sports. Incidence rates for the various injuries were calculated. Results: There were 9,369.30 estimated knee dislocations and 742.02 estimated hip over this study period. The incidence rates of knee and hip dislocations for all seven sports were 29.12 and 2.09 per 1 million person-year. These injuries were more common among males, and most occurred in participants between 10-19 years old. Snow skiing and snowboarding had the highest rates of knee and hip dislocations respectively. Conclusions: This study provides baseline data for hip and knee dislocations in participants of extreme sports. These injuries occurred most commonly in males and 10-19 year olds. Awareness of these injuries among extreme sports participants is important as they represent serious injuries, with potentially devastating complications if not managed promptly and properly.