Lower extremity equipment-related injuries in alpine recreational skiers.

Lower extremity equipment-related injuries are the most significant injury group in alpine skiing. The lower extremity equipment-related injuries occurring at four Norwegian ski resorts were studied during the winter of 1985 to 1986. A total of 132 skiers with injuries were included (40% of all injured skiers) and compared with a randomly selected control population of 316 uninjured skiers. The most common lower extremity equipment-related injuries were knee sprains (56%) and lower leg fractures (14%), usually caused by no or late binding release. Significantly more lower extremity equipment-related injuries (33%) than other skiing injuries (19%) needed hospital admittance. Children below 10 years had a risk of lower leg fractures nine times that of skiers beyond 20 years. Beginners were six times more at risk for a lower extremity equipment-related injury than skiers of higher skiing abilities. The following factors were also associated with a significantly increased risk for a lower extremity equipment-related injury: less than three skiing seasons, no skiing instruction, and no self-testing of the bindings.