The efficacy of wrist protectors in preventing snowboarding injuries

Injuries of the wrist are common among snowboarders and in-line skaters. Wr ist protectors have been developed to protect against injury. Some studies support the use of such wrist protection, but others emphasize the fact tha t wrist protectors may transfer the injury to other locations in the forear m. We conducted a prospective, randomized, clinical study of 5029 snowboard ers, 2515 in a braced group and 2514 in a control group. The primary endpoi nt was fracture or sprain of the wrist with loss of range of motion and pai n of at least a 3-day duration. Concomitant injuries were also recorded. Ei ght wrist injuries occurred in the braced group and 29 occurred in the cont rol group. This was a significant difference. Beginners (first 5 days on a snowboard) and snowboarders with rented equipment were more prone to injury than others. No injuries could be related to the use of the wrist brace. W e conclude that wrist braces are effective in protecting snowboarders again st wrist injury. Beginners are a high-risk group.