5 Most Common Snowboarding Injuries
What are the most common snowboarding injuries?
- Wrist Injuries
- Spinal Injuries
- Ankle Injuries
- Head Injuries
- Knee Injuries
1. Wrist Injuries
Wrist injuries are usually the most common injuries in snowboarding. Beginner snowboarders tend to fall on their outstretched hands which leads them to fracture or break their wrists. If ligaments are torn, it can also lead to a wrist sprain. It may take around 8 weeks to help heal a broken wrist. To prevent future sprains and fractures, snowboarders can wear wrist guards as they are protective and affordable. They may also keep their hands in a fist position and elbow bent to help with their sprains.
2. Spinal Injuries
Spinal injuries are very common in snowboarding due to people attempting jumps. Snowboarders suffer from spinal injuries mainly due to jumping, but falls can also lead to them. To avoid spinal injuries, snowboarders should practice their jumps off the mountain and learn the proper techniques. Practicing will allow them to develop their skills and snowboard safely. They should not attempt jumps that are beyond their skill level as that increases their chances of getting injured.
3. Ankle Injuries
Ankle injuries during snowboarding can occur in many ways which include overuse of the ligaments, wrong bindings and boots, and falling. They can also occur after jumping with a band landing. This causes immense pressure on the bones in the ankle and foot joints. Snowboarders should wear hard boots to decrease the chances of injuries and help improve and enhance ankle support. If an ankle injury does occur, it is vital to compress the injury and help reduce swelling. If conditions are not getting better, it is best to seek professional advice. To help speed up recovery, athletes should do ankle exercises and use ankle support.
4. Head Injuries
Although the chances of head injuries have decreased, they can still occur. All snowboarders must wear helmets as that decreases the chances of injury. Permanent brain injury may result from a collision or fall. Usually, during snowboarding, head injuries can be very fatal. If in certain cases the injury is mild, a physical therapist should be consulted and should help treat any concussion symptoms. If it is more severe than that, athletes should seek immediate assistance from physicians. The most common and effective way to avoid head injuries is to wear a helmet.
5. Knee Injuries
As the design of bindings and snowboard boots have advanced, knee injuries have become less common with snowboarders, but there is always still a chance. Among snowboarders, twisting causes a majority of the knee injuries as they can cause damage to ligaments or strain the knee. Collisions may cause a knee fracture. One common ligament injury is damage to the ACL. If this does occur, athletes must use a supportive knee brace. And to avoid this, they must partake in knee exercises before snowboarding to help warm-up and prepare the body. The most common way to avoid knee injuries is to wear a knee brace.