5 Common Winter Sports Injuries and How to Avoid Them

Winter fun can be exciting and even feel a bit daredevilish. It’s not uncommon to take a few more risks when playing winter sports. However, risk for injury goes up when more factors are out of your control. Avoiding injury will take a little more care.

At Keck Medicine of USC, Orthopaedic Surgery in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, orthopaedic and sports medicine specialist George Hatch, MD, explains what you should be aware of when it comes to winter sports and how to avoid a serious sports injury.

Why injuries are common in winter sports

Wintertime activities are exciting for several reasons, which are also the reasons they can be more dangerous than summertime sports. Snow, ice, and speed can all contribute to a thrilling adventure, but can also contribute to out-of-control incidents that lead to injury.

The more factors there are, the higher your risk. Interestingly, many winter sport injuries happen at the end of the day, when people push themselves to squeeze just a little more excitement out of their holiday or weekend.

Common winter sports injuries

Let’s look at five of the most common winter sports injuries and their causes.

1. Sprains

Sprains can happen any time, but falling on ice is a common winter mishap. If you’re ice skating, your ankles and wrists are particularly vulnerable to sprains.

2. Strains

Muscle strains can come from engaging in activities that cause overexertion of muscles rarely used the rest of the year. These can be caused by cross-country skiing or impromptu games of ice hockey. 

3. Dislocations

Knocking a joint out of place is all too common. This can happen during a fall while downhill skiing or during a snowboarding run. 

4. Fractures

Skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, and ice skating/hockey can all result in a broken bone due to a bad fall or impact with a tree or another person.

5. Concussions

Head injuries are very common in winter sports. It’s important to get any head injury checked out even if you don’t feel that bad directly after you hit your head.

Avoiding winter sports injuries

The best ways to avoid winter sports injuries include:

• Condition yourself before your anticipated activity to build strength
• Don’t tackle hard challenges right away; try an easy slope first
• Eat and drink before you go out so low blood sugar doesn’t make you dizzy
• Take regular breaks during activities that require extreme exertions
• Wear all recommended safety gear for your chosen activity
• Don’t allow yourself to be pressured into “one more hour” or “one more hill”
• Stretch well after your fun and attend to any minor bumps or bruises

If you take your kids out to enjoy winter sorts with you, control conditions as much as you can and insist on head protection. Skiing and snowboarding are extremely high risk sports for children aged 15 and under.

Have you sustained a winter sports injury? Schedule an appointment with Dr. Hatch by calling Keck Medicine of USC, Orthopaedic Surgery at 323-442-5860, or booking an appointment online today.