7 Spinal protective devices are allowed for use under alpine ski racing downhill suits in competition for protective purposes but their use is not currently mandatory. Helmet use in all disciplines is currently mandatory in all competitive disciplines by the Federation International du Ski (FIS).
Alpine Canada is attempting to develop policies to improve safety measures for all ski athletes as evidenced by the Alpine Ski Safety Summits held in 20. 5 Recent high profile deaths of Canadian ski athletes in freestyle and ski cross disciplines highlight the need for more research and advocacy for change in safety measures in snow sports. It may be possible that the number of back injuries in competitive alpine ski racing has changed with the changes in snow preparation and increased speeds in all disciplines in recent years. 4 As ski racers actively seek out increased rates of speed in all disciplines of competition, it is possible that this population is at greater risk of injury. It has been found that injury rates increase with rates of speed among recreational and competitive populations.
2 Specifically, Franz reported that most severe spine injuries (fractures, dislocations, subluxations) occurred most often in skiers at the lumbar spine level and encouraged the promotion of back protection along with various other preventative measures. 2 It has recently been reported that injury rates of elite alpine skiers are in fact higher than previously thought, suggesting an increased need to investigate this population of athletes. Of these reported injuries, 45% occurred during official World Cup competitions, with the remaining injuries occurring during various forms of on-snow training indicating that many accidents and injuries occur outside of competition events. Only 4.5% of the reported low back injuries were regarded as severe, however, resulting in 28 days or more of missed skiing activity. 2Īlthough the knee is the most commonly reported location of acute injury among World Cup alpine ski racers (representing 35% of injuries), lower leg and low back injuries are the second most common injuries reported (22% of reported injuries each). 2 In these athletes, anterior cruciate ligament injuries were most frequently reported, followed by concussions. Among the competitive alpine ski racing population, Florenes reported that 81% of injuries occurring during the 2007–2008 World Cup competitive season were moderate or severe in nature, resulting in time loss of eight to 28 days or greater for those athletes.
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