Top Five Winter Sports Injuries

Winter officially ends on March 19th, but we probably have plenty more snow on the way and plenty more chances to get hurt in it. What is the most dangerous thing you can do in the snow?

A doctor who formerly cared for U.S. Olympic ski and winter sports athletes has listed the top five injury-producing winter sports. The info was released from Loyola Medicine.

1. Sledding: “More than 700,000 injuries are reported each year in the United States due to sledding. More than 30 percent are head injuries, caused by collisions.”
2. Hockey: “Lacerations, as well as neck, shoulder and knee injuries are common in hockey. Many injuries are caused through contact with another player, the ice, a puck or actual skate blade.”
3. Ice Skating: “Injuries to the wrist as well as head and neck are most common and most injuries are caused by falls.”
4. Snowboarding: “Wrist and elbow injuries are caused by falls on outstretched hands.”
5. Skiing: “Knees really take a pounding and injury is often caused by extreme twisting force propelled by the skis.”

The article also cites info from the CDC that states one quarter of all ER visits in the winter months are attributed to snowboarding accidents, and half of all those cases are broken bones and sprains.

I still can;t believe sledding beat out hockey for the number one spot.  I wonder what the list would be if were 'most severe injuries' instead of just 'most injuries'.

So, fun in the snow, good. Injuries in the snow, not so good.

Stay safe out there when its cold, here are some tips on avoiding winter sports injuries from Spine-Health.com.

What’s the worst winter sports injury you’ve ever had?