Descriptions
Studies have suggested that the risk of injury in skiing is special high among competitive skiers at elite level. The FIS Injury Surveillance System, established at Oslo Sport Trauma Research Center (2006), has reported that the injury incidence among World Cup alpine skiers is alarmingly high. One in three athletes sustain an injury per season. Over 30% of the injuries are serious injuries leading to long term absence from training and competition, and unfortunately in some cases career ending. The injury pattern is dominated by knee injuries, and the most frequent type of injury is injured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
To reduce the risk of injury among World Cup skiing athletes, we have to know why and how injuries occur. So far, knowledge on injury risk factors and mechanisms in skiing is limited, and little scientific documentation is available.
The aim of this study is therefore to describe in detail injury situations and mechanisms among World Cup alpine skiers.
Methods
Video analysis and injury registration will be combined to record accurate and complete injury information. Videotapes of injuries reported through FIS Injury Surveillance System will be retrospectively obtained from the three last seasons (2006-2009). The videotapes will be visually analyzed by two-three independent experts. An analysis form will be developed to study injury situations and injury mechanisms, including circumstances of injury, the athlete`s behavior, as well as body motion.
Biomechanical analysis of joint kinematics for ACL injuries will be study by using a specific technique for three-dimensional reconstruction of human motion from video sequences. This technique involves a manual matching of a skeleton model to the background. The method has been developed at Oslo Sport Trauma Research Center.
This study will give important knowledge about injury risk factors and mechanisms; aspects which are essential in the injury prevention process.