SalterHarris fractures in paediatric skiers and snowboarders.

The incidence of paediatric fractures among winter sport athletes is not adequately studied. Our objective was to categorize fractures that occurred in paediatric skiers and snowboarders at a single ski resort. X-rays of 756 skiers/snowboarders aged 3-17 diagnosed with a fracture were categorized using the Salter-Harris (SH) classification. SH fractures were seen in 158 (21%) patients, with 123 (77%) being Type II. There were no significant differences between patients with a SH fracture and patients with a non-SH fracture for age, sex, snowboarding or skiing, mechanism of injury, terrain or the resort conditions on the day of injury. The most common mechanism of injury was falling onto snow while collisions resulted in more severe injuries. Compared to fractures without growth plate involvement, a higher proportion of SH fractures were seen in the humerus, radius, fibula and thumb; a lower proportion of SH fractures were observed at the tibia and clavicle.