Objectives: Sledding is a common recreational activity in northern communit
ies. The objective of this study was to examine the frequency and nature of
sledding injuries (SIs) in patients presenting to emergency departments (E
Ds). Methods: The data were derived from a cohort of patients treated at al
l five EDs in an urban Canadian health region over a two-year period. Follo
wing chart review, consenting patients were interviewed by telephone about
their sledding activities and the circumstances surrounding the injury. Res
ults: Three hundred twenty-eight patients were correctly coded as having SI
s, with 212 patients (65%) reached during the follow-up survey. The median
age of those with SIs was 12 years (IQR = 8, 21), and 206 (59%) were male.
Injury rates peaked in the l0-14-year age group (87/100,000) for boys and i
n the 5-9-year age group (75/100,000) for girls. Most patients stated they
were drivers (75%), fewer than half were thrown from the sled (42%), and fe
wer than half (44%) were sledding on community-designated sledding hills at
the time of injury. Injuries to the lower extremity (32%), upper extremity
(31%), and head (13%) were most common. Thirty-seven (11%) patients with S
Is were admitted to hospital vs 4% of patients with other sports/recreation
injuries (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Sledding injuries are common and potenti
ally serious wintertime injuries in northern communities, involving primari
ly younger patients, with a large pre-adolescent group. However, older sled
ders (>20 years) have poorer outcomes (hospitalization, lost time from work
/school) than their younger counterparts. The SIs treated in the ED appear
to lead to hospitalization more frequently than other types of sport/recrea
tion injury, and injury prevention strategies appear warranted.