CERVICAL SPINAL FRACTURES IN ALPINE SKIERS

A 5-year review of skiing injuries in the Aspen/Snowmass area revealed 18 cervical fractures, This represents a yearly average of 3.6 fractu res (range: 2 to 5), There were 16 men and 2 women identified, with an average age of 40.8 years (range: 20 to 73), Using estimates of skier days and total injuries, cervical fractures represented approximately 0.1% of all skiing injuries, Six of 18 injuries (33%) were avulsion i njuries of the spinous processes and were treated symptomatically with a soft collar However, five patients had neurologic involvement secon dary to fracture displacement, two with lasting quadriparesis, In addi tion? there was one death attributed to cervical fracture, Forty-four percent of the patients had associated injuries, most commonly facial and head (33%). The three oldest patients (average age: 67 years, rang e: 57 to 73) had three of the more serious injuries. Two of these pati ents were the quadriplegics, and a third required halo stabilization o f bilateral C2 facet fractures, Typically, those patients who were inv olved in collisions with immovable objects (trees or fences) had more severe injuries and a greater chance of neurologic involvement.