2001 Volume 25 Issue 3 Pages 511-514
We performed a comparative study on shoulder injuries between snowboards and skis.
1665 patients injured by snowboarding or skiing visited our hospital from 1997 to 1999 (males: 1173, females: 492, averagc age: 25.3). There were 883 patients injured by snowboarding (males: 667, females: 216, average age: 23.6) and 782 patients injured by skiing (males: 506, females: 276, average age: 27.3).
There were 523 patients (59.2%) with upper extremity injuries caused by snowboarding. Among them there were 191 patients (21.6%) with shoulder injuries. There were 62 fractures (clavicle: 40, proximal end of the humerus: 22),78 dislocations (acromioclavicular joint: 32, shoulder joint: 46) and 1 dislocation fracture (shoulder joint). There were 235 patients (30.1%) with upper extremities injured by skiing. Among them there were 133 patients (17.0%) with shoulder injuries. There were 53 fractures (clavicle: 36, proximal end of the humerus: 14, scapula: 3),41 dislocations (acromioclavicular joint: 10, shoulder joint: 31) and 6 dislocation fractures (shoulder joints).
Snowboarders fall on their hands frequently. Therefore upper extremity injuries and shoulder injuries caused by snowboarding are considered to be more than by skiing.
