Short narrative review on main winter sports-related accidents: epidemiology, injury patterns, arguments for prophylactic behavior to avoid orthopedic and catastrophic neurological injuries

Winter-sport participation may be associated with a risk of injuries. The article provides a brief overview of the epidemiology of winter sports-related trauma, referring to common skiing and snowboarding injuries in professional athletes or inexperienced ones (amateurs), to determine injury patterns, crash circumstances, their pathological repercussions, and possible preventive interventions. Known risk factors for the occurrence of injuries are: lack of experience in snow-sports, suboptimal skill and technical level, poor physical fitness level, fatigue, risk-taking behavior, alcohol consumption, absence or rented and/ or faulty equipment and protective devices, high speed, ice on the slope, bad weather conditions and poor visibility, crowd on the track. This short exposure aims to educate younger (recreational) skiers and snowboarders to prevent traumatic injuries to the limbs and especially the catastrophic ones, resulting in central nervous system lesions, with devastating consequences for athletes, their families, and communities. The paper has a multidisciplinary addressability: it may be useful for general practitioners and young specialists in orthopedics, neurology, physical medicine & rehabilitation, and kinetotherapy