To ski or not to ski? A meta-analysis of more than 750,000 upper extremity injuries comparing skiing and snowboarding.

Abstract

Background: Alpine skiing has seen advancements in equipment since the year 2000, with the appearance of ski carving. Its impact on upper extremity injuries has yet to be proven. We conducted a meta-analysis to determine the epidemiology of upper extremity injuries in alpine skiing and snowboarding, its chronological evolution in the last two decades, and the impact of carving.

Method: A systematic search in PubMed was conducted including studies from 1939 to 2024. The search strategy used text words and relevant indexing to identify articles discussing upper extremity injuries associated with those activities while providing statistical and epidemiological data.

Results: 77 studies including a total of 764,423 patients were analysed. The most commonly injured upper extremity segments are the shoulder (37%) for skiing and the wrist (36%) for snowboarding. The main upper extremity dislocation is glenohumeral (36%) for skiing and the elbow (46%) for snowboarding. Hand injuries are significantly more prevalent while skiing, but the rest of the upper extremity injuries are significantly more prevalent with snowboarding.

Discussion: The time trends from the year 2000 and on have shown a significant increase in upper extremity injuries with ski carving. Snowboarding injury epidemiology has not significantly changed in this period.