OCCURRENCE AND TRENDS IN SKI INJURIES IN NORWAY

Objectives-To provide an overview of ski injuries in Norway and to des cribe the changes between 1990 and 1996. Methods-All ski injuries (796 6) treated at four hospitals providing health care to a defined popula tion of about 11% of the Norwegian population were registered prospect ively from 1990 to 1996; For this study, 6462 injuries sustained in cr oss country skiing, downhill skiing, telemark skiing, and snowboarding were selected for further analysis. Results-The relative distribution of ski injuries by type of skiing changed significantly from 1990 to 1996 (p<0.001). Injuries from snowboarding showed the highest relative increase, and those sustained during downhill skiing showed a decline . The proportion of fractures in all types of skiing increased during the study period (p = 0.001). The proportion of injuries to knee/lower leg decreased and the proportion to the forearm/wrist/hand increased during the study period (p = 0.03). The mean age of the injured skiers differed significantly among the different types of skiing activity ( p<0.001): cross country skiers were the oldest followed by telemark sk iers, downhill skiers, and snowboarders. Conclusions-Ski injury survei llance results in early detection of changes in temporal injury trends , allowing timely adjustment of injury prevention strategies. Injuries from snowboarding are on the increase in Norway, warranting more effe ctive injury prevention measures.