Winter Sports Injury Prevention

Winter means cold temperatures, snowstorms, and fun winter sports for millions of people.  For most winter sports, proper and well-fitting equipment, good physical conditioning, common sense, and good sportsmanship can help eliminate many injuries.

Winter Sports Related Injuries

More than 440,000 people were treated at hospitals, doctor's offices, and emergency rooms for winter sports-related injuries in 2010 (Consumer Product Safety Commission).

Winter Fall Prevention
When winter snowflakes fall, so do people. One of the most threatening winter hazards is the potential to slip and fall on patches of ice and snow, causing serious injuries including lacerations, broken bones, and even traumatic brain injuries.

Prevention Tips

Each year we hear the unfortunate news of a toddler being injured or killed after falling from a window. A study cited by Safe Kids Worldwide says children under the age of five rack up 3,300 injuries from window falls each year in the United States.

Keep your family safe around water this summer.

Trampoline jumping is a common backyard sport and recreational activity. It is now experiencing a resurgence of popularity in commercial recreation trampoline jump facilities. Hospital emergency physician’s treat hundreds of thousands of trampoline-related injuries each year. The costs of medical, legal, insurance and disability expenses exceed four billion dollars. Injuries are significant among all age programs.

Always remember the following safety tips:

Each year in the United States, an estimated 3 billion toys and games are sold. In 2009, an estimated 185,900 children ages 14 and under were treated in an emergency department for a toy-related injury. 45 percent of toy-related injuries were to the head or face.

General Safety Tips:

A completed suicide occurs when an individual ends their own life. It is a serious public health issue that can have a huge impact on a family, an office, a school or even an entire community.

Talking about suicide is a difficult conversation that many just avoid, and some feel that not talking about the subject will make the problem disappear.

Winter Sports Injury Prevention Tips: Snowmobiling

More than 1.5 million snowmobiles in the United States will venture into the back country each winter. The majority of snowmobile accidents involved collisions with fixed or moving objects such as fence posts, barbed wire, trees, cars, and other snowmobiles.

Last year, the National Safety Council recorded about 156 deaths associated with snowmobiles. Fatalities have resulted from riding on thin ice, freezing when stranded after a breakdown and decapitation by running through a barbed wire fence.

Snow Thrower Safety

Snow throwers are wonderful devices for helping us clear away the heavy Colorado snow. However, they can also cause serious injuries. The Orthopedic Experts at Denver Health encourage you to be smart when using these powerful tools.

For most people, snow removal is an expected chore. But, for some, the risk of a heart attack or back injury is a reality. If you are not in good physical condition or have existing heart disease or a personal history of stroke, you are at a higher risk for injury. Snow removal can be especially dangerous if you do not exercise regularly.