Abstract
PurposeThe knee joint still represents the most frequent anatomical injury location accounting for about one-third of all injuries in recreational alpine skiers. However, comprehensive information on current knee injury patterns in this populations is sparse.MethodsDuring the winter seasons 2016/17 and 2019/20, this retrospective questionnaire-based study was conducted in an Austrian sportclinic situated in a large ski area. Among a cohort of 282 recreational skiers (51.8% females), all injuries were diagnosed by the use of magnetic resonance imaging. Additionally, data were recorded on anthropometric characteristics, the perceived speed at the moment of injury, type of fall, physical fitness, self-reported skill level and risk-taking behaviour.ResultsThe anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) was injured in all knee injuries recorded. Of the total study sample, 64.5% (n = 182) were ACL injuries with concomitant injuries and about 35.5% (n = 100) were isolated ACL injuries, not involving any other structures of the knee joint. In general, most common concomitant injury diagnoses among ACL-injured recreational alpine skiers were injuries of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) (n = 92, 50.5%), medial meniscus (MM) (n = 73, 40.1%) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) (n = 41, 22.5%). No significant differences regarding additionally recorded characteristics were found between ACL-injured individuals with concomitant injuries and those with isolated ACL injury.ConclusionsWhereas, before the introduction of carving skis, the MCL was reported being the most common injured part of the knee, currently, the majority of knee injuries are ACL injuries accompanied by injury of other knee joint structures, i.e. the MCL, MM and LCL.Level of evidenceLevel III.
Highlights
Recreational alpine skiing represents one of the most popular winter sports, enjoyed by several 100 million people annually [1, 2]
Most common concomitant injury diagnoses among knee-injured recreational alpine skiers were an injury to the medial collateral ligament (MCL) (n = 92, 50.5%), medial meniscus (MM) (n = 73, 40.1%) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) (n = 41, 22.5%)
In contrast to earlier studies [7, 13] which reported the MCL being the most injured part of the knee, with regard to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, this study shows that the ACL is predominantly affected and frequently accompanied by injuries of other knee joint structures
Summary
Recreational alpine (downhill) skiing represents one of the most popular winter sports, enjoyed by several 100 million people annually [1, 2]. Alpine skiing is associated with a certain risk for injury [3, 4]. The overall incidence of ski injuries among recreational skiers has decreased from 5–8 injuries per 1000 skier days before the 1970s [5], to 2–3 injuries per 1000 skier days in the early 1990s [6, 7]. The evaluated injury rate in 2 medalp sportclinic, 6460 Imst, Austria. Burtscher et al [10] showed that with the introduction of the short and shaped carving skis, the overall injury rate has even decreased by 9%
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
