[Snow trauma: comparison between skiers and snowboarders].

OBJECTIVE: skiing is practiced by million of persons every year, while snowboard is an emerging sport. This study compares the types of injury produced by the two sports. DESIGN: an observational study based on current data concerning traumas in skiing and snowboard. 1,264 skiers and 228 snowboarders injured were studied. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Student's t test and chi-square test, logistic regression. SETTING: snow injuries occurring in the ski resorts of agordino (Belluno), Arabba-Marmolada, Alleghe and Falcade between December 2006 and April 2007. Data were collected from the database of the Agordo Public Hospital, of the 118 Emergency service of Pieve di Cadore, and of several ski resorts. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: age, sex, country area, kind of injury, numbers, severity and type of trauma, injury time, prognosis, part of the body injured. RESULTS: the two sports differ with regard to trauma types: sprains and distortions are more frequent in skiers, whereas fractures (breaks) are more frequent in the snowboard. Lower limbs (knee) in ski and upper limbs (wrist) in snowboard are the main lesion sites. With regard to the ankle's injuries, no difference was found between the two sport: this contrasts with previous findings reported in the literature. Severity of trauma is not related to the kind of sport. CONCLUSIONS: the results of the present study agree with previous findings with regard to the type of lesions observed in the two sports. Among snowboarders, it is possible that recent materials and equipments reduce ankle injury risk. In spite of the differences in equipment and gestures, the consequences of injury are similar in the two sports.