SHOULDER INJURIES DURING ALPINE SKIING

We retrospectively reviewed alpine skiing injuries at a destination sk i resort during three seasons to characterize the incidence and types of shoulder injuries. A total of 3451 injuries in 3247 patients were r eviewed. The overall injury rate was 4.44 injuries per 1000 skier-days . Injuries to the upper extremity represented 29.1% (N = 1004) of all alpine ski injuries. Injuries involving the shoulder complex (393 inju ries in 350 patients) accounted for 39.1% of upper extremity injuries and 11.4% of all alpine skiing injuries. The rate of shoulder injury w as 0.51 injuries per 1000 skier-days. Patients with shoulder injuries had a mean age of 35.4 years, and the male-to-female ratio of these pa tients was 3:1. Falls represented the most common mechanism of shoulde r injury (93.9%) in addition to collisions with skiers (2.8%), pole pl anting (2.3%), and collisions with trees (1%). The most common shoulde r injuries were rotator cuff strains (24.2%), anterior glenohumeral di slocations or subluxations (21.6%), acromioclavicular separations (19. 6%), and clavicle fractures (10.9%). Less common shoulder injuries inc luded greater tuberosity fractures (6.9%), trapezius muscle strains (6 .4%), proximal humeral fractures (3.3%), biceps tendon strains (2.3%), glenoid fractures (1.5%), scapular fractures (1%), humeral head fract ures (1%), sternoclavicular separations (0.5%), an acromial fracture ( 0.3%), a posterior glenohumeral dislocation (0.3%), and a biceps tendo n dislocation (0.3%).