Ice skating accidents and injuries

Investigation of the Mechanical Response of the Foot Structure Considering Push-Off Angles in Speed Skating

The push-off angle is an important factor affecting speed-skating performance. However, quantitative evidence for the relationship between the push-off angle and foot injury is incomplete. This study aimed to establish a three-dimensional (3D) finite element model (FEM) and investigate the mechanical responses of foot structures to stress and strain to explore the relationship between injury and movement. A 3D FEM was reconstructed using CT and 3D scan data and validated by comparing the FEM-predicted and in vivo measurement data in the balanced standing state. A push-off angle obtained from a video of a champion was loaded into the FEM. The error rates of validation were less than 10%. With a decrease in the push-off angle, the stress on the metatarsal increased; the stress on the talus, ankle joint cartilage and plantar fascia decreased, as did the strain on the ankle joint cartilage and plantar fascia. The FEM was considered reasonable. Not all foot structures had an increased risk of injury with a decrease in the push-off angle from 70° to 42°. The FEM established in this study provides a possibility for further determining and quantifying the relationship between foot injury and skating technique.

Injuries sustained at a temporary ice-skating rink: prospective study of the Winchester experience 2007-2008

Anecdotal reports when a temporary ice-rink opened in Winchester, suggested a burden on the Emergency Department (ED) and Trauma & Orthopaedic (T&O) services. This study was undertaken to assess, prospectively, the workload created as a consequence of ice-rink injuries, when the facility was reopened over Christmas 2007. All patients attending from the ice-rink were included and their injuries reviewed. Costs of care were calculated based on ED attendance, out-patient appointments (OPA's), radiography, plaster immobilisation and government tariffs for surgical procedures. The ice-rink was open for 39 days welcoming 43,000 skaters. Sixty-two accidents were recorded in the accident book, 43 attended the ED. Radiographic investigation was necessary for 31 patients. Nineteen had diagnoses of soft tissue injury, 3 of head/facial injuries. T&O received 23 referrals; all fractures were in the upper limb, 6 requiring admission and surgery. Fifty-eight ED, fracture clinic and physiotherapy OPA's were required. Additional costs to The Royal Hampshire County Hospital (RHCH) were calculated as 33,718.50 pounds. This temporary facility created a smaller than predicted burden for the ED and T&O service, however, sufficient consideration of OPA requirements should be made when planning service provision whilst temporary recreational facilities, such as this, are open.

Ice skating injuries: can they be reduced or prevented?

The opening of an ice rink resulted in 469 attendances at the local Accident and Emergency department over the first year. One hundred and eight had a significant injury. Thirty-seven patients were admitted. Thirty-three required an operation under general anaesthesia. Thirty had consumed alcohol at the rink's bar. Nine of these had a fracture. The number of skates attending the Accident and Emergency department per 1000 visits to the rink declined over the study period. Injuries could be reduced if protective clothing was worn. Alcohol should not be sold at the rink. First aid although effective could be improved.

Intrinsic risk factors and athletic injuries

The benefits of physical activity are widely known. However, the risk of a musculoskeletal injury is an unfavourable consequence in physical training. Age, gender, injury history, body size, local anatomy and biomechanics, aerobic fitness, muscle strength, imbalance and tightness, ligamentous laxity, central motor control, psychological and psychosocial factors as well as general mental ability are factors in the predisposition to injury. Junior (15 to 16 years) and senior athletes seem to be at a higher risk of injury in many types of sport. However, the relationship between age and injuries apparently depends on both the type and intensity of activity practiced. The majority of injured athletes in many studies have been males. Men are, however, more likely to participate in vigorous exercise and sport and it is not known if men are at a generally higher risk of injury when the exposure is taken into account. Certain lesions, such as sprains, strains and dislocations, tend to recur. Previous injuries may necessarily not cause a repetition of injury if treated adequately, but certain individuals may be at a higher risk of injury due to injury-prone biological characteristics. Excessive height and weight have been shown to predispose to stress injuries in physical training. Idiopathic or acquired abnormalities in the anatomy or biomechanics in any joint may lead to a local injury. However, physical requirements vary widely between different types of activity and predisposition to injury due to anatomical or biomechanical factors seems to be characteristic for each type of exercise. Lack of fitness, muscle weakness, joint looseness and poor general flexibility have been suggested as factors in the outcome of athletic injuries but no definite conclusions can be made on the basis of the existing literature. Long simple reaction times to visual stimuli and long choice reaction times to visual stimuli have recently been related to musculoskeletal injuries. No exceptional personality dimension in injury proneness as a whole has been found and the results from specific groups cannot be extrapolated generally. Accumulation of life stress apparently predisposes to an athletic injury. Musculoskeletal injuries seem to be more common in subjects with lower scores in intelligence tests but no causation has been shown yet. Altogether, a complex network of risk factors for athletic injuries has been found. However, no prospective study including all the recognised injury risk factors has been presented in the literature.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)