Dave ESPI Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/06/11/sports.injuries.ap/index.html NEW YORK (AP) -- More people are hurt snowboarding than any other outdoor activity, accounting for a quarter of emergency room visits, according to the first national study to estimate recreational injuries. More people wind up in the ER with injuries from snowboarding than any other outdoor activity. Trailing snowboarding are sledding and hiking, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in the journal Wilderness and Environmental Medicine. The most common problems were broken bones and sprains, accounting for half of all cases. About 7 percent of ER visits were for concussions or other brain injuries. "We want people to participate in outdoor recreational activities. But we want people to recognize that there's cause for concern and people can and do get injured," study co-author Arlene Greenspan said Tuesday. She said injuries can be avoided through planning and preparation: making sure your fitness level and skills match the activity and using proper equipment like helmets. Greenspan said the study is the first to look at injuries from all activities, instead of individual sports or geographic areas. The researchers looked at data on nonfatal injuries from outdoor activities treated at 63 hospitals in 2004 and 2005. They calculated that almost 213,000 people annually were treated for such injuries nationwide. About half of those injured are young, between ages 10 and 24 and half of the injuries are caused by falls. Males are injured at twice the rate of females, but the research didn't look at the reasons. "It could be that males are more risky or it could be that males just participate more than females, or a combination of both," said Greenspan. Health Library Sprains and strains Nearly 26 percent of the injures were from snowboarding followed by sledding (11 percent); hiking (6 percent); mountain biking, personal watercraft, water skiing or tubing (4 percent); fishing (3 percent) and swimming (2 percent). From his experience on ski patrols, "it makes perfect sense to me that snowboard injuries rank high," said Dr. Paul Auerbach, of Stanford School of Medicine. Auerbach, who writes a blog on outdoor medicine, said such studies allow researchers to look for patterns in injuries that can be used in prevention programs. He's one of the founders of the Wilderness Medical Society, which publishes the journal. "Some activities have risks and you can't take all the risks out of the wilderness," said Auerbach. "But what you'd like to do is take the unnecessary risk out." So I guess this makes us the most " H4rdK0r3 3Xtr3m3 !" sports participants than all others. Thats definately something to be stoked about :) "Ride hard, Ride Often, Ride Safe !" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paragonUE Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 trailing snowboarding are sledding and HIKING???!?!!!!? never in my life have I been hurt, nor have I been witness to any injury that required serious medical attention, while hiking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 It's good to know that I'm not the only one who beats the snot out of myself boarding. I thought hiking injuries were pretty common? I know that sprained ankles, dehydration and sunstroke are all issues with hiking. People out my way tend to fall off stuff a lot too, for some reason ... when they're not being eaten by bears.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncermak Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 63 hospitals. a pretty small sample. I would bet that if you looked at city hospitals you would see a lot of running, and rollerblading injuries. suburban - biking. I would have to be that there would be a much different set of results with a larger sampling. I find it hard to put much, if any, stock in this report. It sounds more like the researcher was looking to prove a belief that he developed during his years on ski patrol. he's probably a hater... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yyzcanuck Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 Here's the study content in PDF. Here's the best quote of all "To date, a surveillance system that tracks the nationwide incidence of wilderness-related morbidity and mortality does not exist." If you look at the data... snow skiing accounts for 61% of "other" activities. That represents 1234 sample cases compared to snowboarding's 1457. SOOOOO... the media/press release has gone for the sensationalist angle in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingCrimson Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 Hiking injuries..Twisted ankles? Scrapes? Booboos? Sphincters afflicted by poison ivy? If people figured out that you land on your body and not your wrist... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skategoat Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 I can believe it. I've personally suffered more snowboarding injuries than all other activities combined. I think I have 2-3 more seasons left in me and then I take up ice fishing. But then again, fishing accounts for more deaths in Ontario than any other sport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowriter Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 IIRC, the last study I read showed that snowboarders had one more injury per 1,000 rider days than skiers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateW Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Injuries (or deaths) per 1000 is an interesting metric. Totals, however, are not interesting. I bet cars kill more people per year than skiing, snowboarding, and ice fishing combined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimo Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 I would think FALLING (and associated sudden stop at the end) is number one cause of injury during recreation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncermak Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 I would think FALLING (and associated sudden stop at the end) is number one cause of injury during recreation. Very few people actually get hurt or die while falling. It's stopping that is the problem... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yyzcanuck Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 From the report... "The leading causes were falls (48%), being struck by or against an object (18%), and overexertion (10%)." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncermak Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Proving my point that this whole arguuement is rubbish... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncermak Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 seriously though, looking at table 6 on p.96, skiing is included in "other", accounting for 61% of the 2024 "other" injuries. That means that 1235 injuries were skiing related, making it clearly second, only to snowboarding, and that by a small margin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadBrad Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Seems like skateboarding would be worse since you land on concrete instead of snow. When I watch any of those sports where people fling themselves high in the air and do flips and tricks, like the freestyle events in snowboarding, skateboarding, motocross, BMX, etc, I just think how painful it must be to learn to do those tricks. They must have gotten it wrong a bunch of times before they perfected those tricks. That's why I prefer to stay on the ground and carve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 When I watch any of those sports where people fling themselves high in the air and do flips and tricks, like the freestyle events in snowboarding, skateboarding, motocross, BMX, etc, I just think how painful it must be to learn to do those tricks. They must have gotten it wrong a bunch of times before they perfected those tricks. That's why I prefer to stay on the ground and carve. That's what I always think too - how many times would you have to get that wrong, before you got it right? Ouch. I'm all about pain avoidance, which is why I also have air avoidance. I still love Phil's quote from a couple of years ago "I'm glad I'm old, so I don't have to do dumb s**t like that anymore". However, the crash and burn sequences on Xtreme TV are great entertainment, especially when you're drunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ursle Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 was watching an olympic equestrian program recently it was for a prior olympic session, in the year prior 100 humans had died in equestrian(eventing) events, that's an awfully high percentage of the total pool of people lots of injuries 100 deaths Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trikerdad Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 I haven't read the stats but, I know that a good percentage of snowboarding injuries are to the wrist. The reason wrist injuries aren't as prevalent in skiing is because when a skier tries to break his or her fall they keep their hands in a fist around their poles. If every snowboarder held a hundred dollar bill in each hand while boarding, wrist injuries would be cut in half! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingCrimson Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Reconsider all the DUIs on the slope and the sudden lack of the bill.. In any case.. Boardski doesn't have to worry about wrist injuries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pokkis Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 This result is no surprise for activity mainly done by middle age men Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photodad2001 Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Seems like skateboarding would be worse since you land on concrete instead of snow. It's not in the statistics given above, but it is fairly common knowledge that 64% of all skateboarding accidents will be shown on America's Funniest Home Videos, therefore nullifying the "accident" and creating comedic "entertainment", and of that 64%, 93% are blows to the crotch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0ardski Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Reconsider all the DUIs on the slope and the sudden lack of the bill..In any case.. Boardski doesn't have to worry about wrist injuries. Actually I have strained my wrist riding with poles, without ever hitting the ground. I've lately been using 3 piece trekking poles with spring loaded handles to ease the impact of emergency balance corrections:biggthump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Gilmour Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 When you race in slalom skateboarding- yes it is pavement- but it is unlikely you will hit a tree- also you typically are well padded. In all my 35 years of skateboarding I had one major injury that could have been avoided to my shoulder... but I was just lazy. Never broken a bone from Skateboarding. Perhaps a minor ankle sprain and road rash (and oddly enough almost no scars). And yes I have fallen at 50+ but IMHO the worst falls are are speeds under 40 mph. Suicide probably ranks highest as the most dangerous activity. Oddly it was not included in the list- and perhaps it should be because hitting a 100 foot gap at 45 mph over frozen granular should qualify as a suicidal act. Snowboarding is one of those sports like football, where you should be in good enough physical condition to take a hard hit and keep going... problem is.. many of us,,, including myself at times are not preconditioned before we go riding. I wish these ill informed journalists would stop trying to write sensationalized prose. In reality- snowboarding after qualified instruction within reason on maintained trails + non overcrowded trails (read...many resortsl on weekends) should not be dangerous. Add a terrain park or a 40 degree 40 foot wide slope of chalk and carver with trees and snowmaking gear lining each side...YMMV. Snowboarding is not risky- it is the participant that chooses a level of risk which is ill advised..by himself. ________ Mazda d platform Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willywhit Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 kitesurfing ain't dangerous, neither. It's the kook holdin' onto the bar that's potentially dangerous. JG, ya find Bozo beach yet ? I hear that dirtbikes ain't dangerous, neither. It's the kook flickin the throttle that's dangerous...... http://www.activecabarete.com/mxcabarete skype me brutha, let's get that mac chat flowing..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 It's not in the statistics given above, but it is fairly common knowledge that 64% of all skateboarding accidents will be shown on America's Funniest Home Videos, therefore nullifying the "accident" and creating comedic "entertainment", and of that 64%, 93% are blows to the crotch. I hope I got the code right <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq1z5yko5HI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq1z5yko5HI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> OK when I get home and can get to your tube I will figure this out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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