A Perfect 10 Winter Sports Safety Tips
Don't let an injury spoil your winter fun.
Published on in Health Tip of the Week
Published on in Health Tip of the Week
The Winter Olympics are finally here! Watching the world’s best athletes give it their all on the international stage for two weeks is inspiring and often motivates us, recreational enthusiasts, to participate in our favorite cold weather activity, too.
But while activities like skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, hockey and sledding are great ways to get outside during the long, cold winter months, they can also be dangerous. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people suffer injuries from these and other outdoor winter sports.
Common winter sports injuries include fractures, sprains, strains, concussions and dislocations. The location of the injuries varies from sport to sport. For example, snowboarders have a greater incidence of wrist injuries, as well as injuries to the tailbone and concussions. Knee injuries are more common in skiers, namely anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. Theodore Ganley, MD, Director of the Sports Medicine and Performance Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), is a member of an expert group of physicians, physical therapists and other scientists recently commissioned by the International Olympic Committee to study the growing rate of youth ACL injuries and address measures for prevention.
Fortunately, most of these injuries are preventable. Ganley shares the following steps your family can take to reduce your risk of injury during your favorite winter activity.
Sledding warrants a few specific tips all its own, says Ganley, noting that while it seems like a harmless winter pastime, it actually poses very serious risks, including head injuries (sometimes as serious as traumatic brain injury) and fractures. He shares the following tips to sled safely:
If an injury does occur, Ganley recommends seeing a doctor as soon as possible to ensure proper treatment and healing.
“After an injury and after the bones have been fixed, and ligament as well as muscle strains have been addressed, children need to be fully rehabilitated,” says Ganley. “They should also undergo balance training before returning to sports.”
CHOP offers leading-edge sports medicine and concussion initiatives, as well as an injury prevention program that provides education and resources to prevent injuries in children. For more information contact the Division of Orthopaedics online or call 215-590-1527.
Contributed by: Theodore J. Ganley, MD