Winnipeg's Health and Wellness Magazine
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/110848
Safety TAKE CARE OUT THERE! Snow sports injuries and how to avoid them By Susie Strachan T he huge snow flakes drifting down from the sky seem so soft and delicate. But lose control while flying down your favourite slope, and those same gentle snowflakes will feel as hard and unforgiving as any concrete wall. Downhill and cross-country skiing and snowboarding are popular sports in Manitoba, but they can also be dangerous if safety precautions aren't taken. There are plenty of ways to bang yourself up while skiing or snowboarding, from simply falling down to smacking into some trees. Every year, as more people embrace winter, more people injure themselves. In Canada, more people are admitted 28 WAVE to hospital from injuries sustained while snowboarding and alpine and crosscountry skiing than from playing hockey. In 2010 to 2011, there were 2,329 hospital admissions for a skiing or snowboarding accident, compared with just over 1,100 hockey-related admissions requiring at least one night in hospital. These numbers do not include trips to the first aid hut at the hill, an emergency department, doctor's office, or deaths, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information statistics. The most common injury among adult skiers is a sprained thumb, while snowboarders most often hurt their wrists, says Dr. Wayne Hildahl, Chief Operating Officer of the Pan Am Clinic, which treats many skiers and snowboarders after they've injured themselves. "We mostly see the people who have broken or sprained a limb, who've dislocated a shoulder, or who have had a concussion from a crash," says Hildahl, adding that Pan Am Clinic's Minor Injury Clinic is the go-to place for musculoskeletal injuries in Winnipeg. According to a report written by Dr. Lynne Warda, Medical Director of IMPACT, the Winnipeg Health Region's