Helmet Use and Risk of Head Injuries in Alpine Skiers and Snowboarders

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Alpine skiing and snowboarding are increasingly popular winter sports and are enjoyed by several hundred million people worldwide. However, the injury risk is high,1 and head injuries are common in alpine skiers and snowboarders.2-4 Head injury is the most frequent reason for hospital admission5-8 and the most common cause of death among skiers and snowboarders with an 8% fatality rate among those admitted to hospital with head injuries.9 In bicycling, case-control studies indicate that helmets reduce the risk of head injury,10,11 and helmets are strongly advocated to prevent head injuries in bicycling and in-line skating.12,13 Helmets are also mandatory for competitive skiers in the Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS) World Cup events in all disciplines.14 In contrast, ski resorts do not typically require helmet use. In the absence of recommendations, helmet use is generally low among recreational skiers and snowboarders15,16 although their use is higher among children.17 Opponents of mandatory helmet use even claim that helmets may increase the risk because they may lead to a reduced field of vision, impaired hearing, or increased speed through a false feeling of security and thus increase the incidence of collisions, the cause of many severe injuries.18 Another argument against helmet use is the uncertainty about whether it might cause higher risk of cervical spine injuries, through a guillotine effect of the heavy helmet, especially in children.19,20 Two recent epidemiological studies have assessed the effect of helmet use on the risk of head and neck injuries among skiers and snowboarders, but one study did not control for potentially important confounding factors,16 and the other used patients without head injuries as their control group.19

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: