Snowboarders at far greater injury risk than skiers

It's known as "boarder belly" and it afflicts snowboarders six times more than skiers.

A study published in the latest issue of Emergency Medicine Australasia has highlighted the problem of spleen injuries from snowboarding and to a lesser extent skiing.

The study looked at patients with spleen injuries resulting from snowboarding or skiing, who had been admitted to an emergency department in Vancouver, Canada, in the past 10 years. Snowboarders were found to be six times more likely to sustain a spleen injury than skiers, and the risk was 21.7 times higher for male snowboarders.

Each year in New Zealand, about 3500 skiers and snowboarders are injured. Researcher Dr Ross Geddes said snowboarding had increased in popularity worldwide, with an associated rise in injuries, many of them severe. Most of the injuries happened as a result of falls or jumps.

"Snowboarders admitted to hospital with a splenic injury were significantly younger, more likely to present with an isolated injury and to require a shorter hospital stay, as compared to skiers."

Dr Geddes said most snowboarders were aged between 12 and 24, and 70 per cent were men. Young men were more likely to be injured in both skiing and snowboarding.

"There was only one woman in the injured snowboarder group and five in the ski group. Perhaps female snowboarders are less reckless or more skilled."

Michael Lamont, ski trauma researcher for the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council, said snowboarders in New Zealand were injured at about six times the rate of skiers but spleen injuries were not something he had seen coming through in the data.

Ankle and shoulder injuries were common among snowboarders and recently there had been a spate of serious back injuries.

Wrist protectors appeared to be cutting the number of wrist injuries.

"Generally it's young men because there's more of them and young guys do dumber things than young girls."

Dr Geddes, an Australian working in Canada, said ski patrols and first-aid providers needed to have a "high index of suspicion" for any snowboarder who complained of abdominal pain after a fall or jump. People with serious spleen injuries often had only mild symptoms.

The findings indicated the need for more education targeted at young male snowboarders, he said.

Mr Lamont said skifields were trying to provide better groomed terrain for people to practise in a safer way.