SKIING INJURIES IN PALANDOKEN SKI CENTER: 156 CASES

Aim: Skiing is an entertaining winter sport with its known risks. Although the injury rates are relatively low in this sport, they can be seen in 2 to 6 skiers per thousand. We report herein the skiing injuries occurred at Palandokens ski Centre during the last season.
Methods: The patients admitted to our hospital due to injuries secondary to ski sport at the winter season of 2004-2005 were included in the study. Demographic, radiological and laboratory data, the mechanism and localization of the trauma, initial Glasgow Comma Score (GCS) and trauma scores were recorded.
Results: A total of 156 patients injured during skiing admitted to the ER at 2004-2005 winter seasons were taken. A hundred and five patients were male and 51 were female and mean age was 29.3 (8-60). All traumatized patients had special gear for skiing, but only 28 patients used helmets. In 136 cases, the injury was secondary to falling whereas in 20 cases the reason was crashing. Isolated injuries occurred in 145 patients, and multiple injuries in 11. The injuries were mainly minor, and they were mostly at the extremities (109), followed by head and neck (15), thorax (8), abdomen (6) and urinary system (2) injuries. One-hundred and forty patients were managed at the emergency room (ER) ambulatory and 15 were hospitalized at different clinics with several diagnoses. Only one patient died due to traumatic intracerebral bleeding.
Conclusion: In conclusion, injuries due to skiing are relatively rare and usually minor and not life-threatening. Traumas secondary to skiing consist of approximately 2 % of all traumas admitted to the ER yearly. Skiing is an entertaining and healthy sport if it is done appropriately. But the skiing individuals have to be informed about the risks of this sport. To make skiing safer it is essential to train the individuals.