From the Guidelines
The most common ski injury is a knee sprain, particularly to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), as evidenced by the high incidence of non-contact ACL injuries in athletes participating in pivoting sports like alpine skiing 1.
Key Points to Consider
- The incidence of non-contact ACL injuries appears to be the greatest in athletes who are between 15 and 40 years of age and participate in pivoting sports like soccer, handball, volleyball, and alpine skiing 1.
- Females are two to eight times more likely to sustain an ACL injury than their male counterparts, probably because male and female neuromuscular patterns diverge during and following puberty 1.
- While other injuries such as ankle sprains and eye injuries can occur in skiers, the knee sprain, particularly to the ACL, is highlighted as a common issue in the context of skiing 1.
Prevention and Treatment
- Prevention strategies include proper equipment fitting, strengthening exercises focusing on quadriceps and hamstrings, and learning proper falling techniques to minimize the torque placed on the knee during falls.
- Treatment varies by severity, ranging from rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE protocol) for minor sprains to surgical intervention for complete tears.
- Recovery time can range from 2-6 weeks for minor MCL sprains to 6-9 months for ACL reconstructions requiring physical therapy.
From the Research
Common Ski Injuries
- The most common ski injury is to the knee, accounting for 20 to 30% of all alpine skiing injuries 2.
- Medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries are the most common in skiing, accounting for 15 to 20% of all skiing injuries and 60% of knee injuries in skiers 2.
- Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are also common in skiers, and their incidence may be increasing due to improved diagnosis and awareness 2, 3.
- Combined injuries to the ACL and medial collateral ligament (MCL) can occur, but are rare 4.
Injury Patterns
- The ACL is predominantly injured in all knee injuries needing hospitalization in recreational alpine skiers 5.
- Concomitant injuries to the MCL, medial meniscus, and lateral collateral ligament can occur in addition to ACL injuries 5.
- The majority of knee injuries are ACL injuries accompanied by injury of other knee joint structures, such as the MCL, medial meniscus, and lateral collateral ligament 5.