Injuries in alpine skiing: risk factors, injury mechanisms and prevention: a review of current evidence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/QS.2026.77.75823Keywords
Alpine skiing, ski boot, ski geometry, risk factros, injury mechanisms, anterior cruciate ligament, injury prevention, skiingAbstract
Background.Alpine skiing is a highly popular winter sport, with approximately 380 million skier days annually worldwide. Despite a decline in recreational injury rates over the past 40 years (from 5–8 to 0.5–3.0 injuries per 1,000 skier days), severe knee ligament injuries and traumatic brain injuries remain common. In elite racing, injury rates are substantially higher, reaching 36.2–36.7 injuries per 100 World Cup athletes per season.
Aim of the study.This review synthesizes current evidence on risk factors, biomechanical injury mechanisms, and prevention strategies in recreational and competitive alpine skiing.
Materials and methods.
The review was conducted using publications published in the PubMed, Google Scoolar and UpToDate. Our search included the following keywords: alpine skiing, anterior cruciate ligament, rick factors, injury mechanisms. References include systematic reviews, but also clinical trials, as well as case reports.
Conclusion.Reducing alpine skiing injuries requires a multidisciplinary approach combining safer equipment, regulated standing heights, neuromuscular and core-stability training, video-based risk awareness, and safer slope and course design. Such interventions can significantly reduce injury risk, with video-based programs reporting a 45% reduction in ACL injuries.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mikołaj Lewandowski, Karolina Rymska, Dominika Dmowska, Paweł Zdebski, Kinga Żmuda, Alicja Serafin, Dominik Chrzanowski, Maciej Krzesimir Kuświk, Marcelina Kaczmarek, Wiktoria Bajek
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