Open Access
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Int J Sports Med 2023; 44(13): 1003-1008
DOI: 10.1055/a-2134-3908
Clinical Sciences

Impact of Environmental Factors on the ACL Injury Risk in Recreational Alpine Skiing

1   Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
,
Gerhard Ruedl
1   Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
,
Klaus Greier
1   Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
2   University College of Education (KPH) Stams, A-6422 Stams, Austria
,
Martin Faulhaber
1   Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
,
Katja Tecklenburg
3   medalp sportclinic, A-6460 Imst, Austria
,
Alois Schranz
3   medalp sportclinic, A-6460 Imst, Austria
,
Birgit Schliernzauer
3   medalp sportclinic, A-6460 Imst, Austria
,
Martin Burtscher
1   Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
› Institutsangaben
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Abstract

In recreational alpine skiing, an ACL injury represents the most common injury. Skiing is a complex activity where the skier interacts with the environment, such as weather, snow conditions, temperature, etc. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential impact of environmental factors on ACL injury risk in recreational alpine skiers. Among a cohort of 392 ACL-injured skiers and 392 uninjured controls matched for sex and skiing skill, environmental factors were collected by questionnaire. Factors included weather conditions, snow conditions, perceived temperature, and slope difficulty at the time-point of the accident (ACL-injured skiers) or of questioning during the ski day (uninjured controls).

Multiple logistic regression revealed that in addition to age, five environmental factors were significantly predictive of an ACL injury: fresh snow (OR 10.5), grippy snow (OR 7.8), icy slope condition (OR 12.4), very cold/cold perceived temperature (OR 1.6), and skiing on easy slopes (OR 6.9). In conclusion, besides age, environmental factors such as fresh and grippy snow, icy slope conditions, low temperatures, and flat slopes are associated with an increased ACL injury risk in recreational alpine skiing. Those factors are at least partly modifiable and should be taken into consideration for preventive strategies.



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Eingereicht: 03. Oktober 2022

Angenommen: 11. Juli 2023

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
22. September 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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