A young girl snowboards outside wearing snow gear and goggles.
Don’t let snowboarding thrills turn into dangerous spills. (For Spectrum Health Beat)

Snowboarding started to become more popular in the 1990s and has continued to attract people of all ages. Many ski areas have developed terrain parks that have half pipes, rails and kickers which create an element of excitement but also presents some safety considerations. Despite the overall low injury rate (fewer than 1 percent), there are several considerations that may help to prevent these injuries.

Beginner teenage snowboarders (those younger than 16) have the highest risk of injury, and the highest risk falls is on the first day of participation. I imagine that many teens received snowboarding gear over the Christmas season, and they will hit the slopes with no formal lessons and no background in winter sports. These teens have the highest risk of injury and the studies prove it.

Over the years there has been a large increase in the use of helmets on the slopes. This is due to the increased awareness of head injury and it has helped significantly to reduce the rate of head injury. Injury prevention is the key in all sports and it is imperative to protect against head injury. Did you know that head injury is not the most common injury in snowboarding?

Upper extremity injuries dominate the sport, and the most common injury occurs at the wrist. Maintaining a stable stance while snowboarding is difficult because both feet are fixed onto the snowboard. When balance is lost, an individual cannot step out to prevent a loss of balance; therefore, the instinctive reaction during a fall is to break the fall with an outstretched hand.

Despite the fact that the wrist is the most frequently injured joint, the use of wrist guards remains low. It has been reported that fewer than 10 percent of all boarders wear guards. It is very important, especially in the high-risk population, to wear protective gear. Some studies have shown that snowboarders who wear wrist guards are half as likely to injure their wrists as those who do not wear wrist guards. Overall, research has proven time and time again that wrist guards reduce the risk of injury (Russell).

Wrist fractures are the most common of the wrist injuries and these injuries can be very complicated and can lead to a lifetime of dysfunction. Prevention is the key, and the solution seems so simple! If you would like to know more about winter sport safety, a wonderful website you can visit is www.ski-injury.com. This website provides updated information with an evidence-based background.

Russell K, Hagel, Francescutti LH. The effect of wrist guards on wrist and arm injuries among snowboarders: a systematic review. Clin J Sport Med. 2007;17(2):145-50.