Mogul Skiing Essay
Over the years, mogul skiing injuries have been decreasing. However, incidences of severe ligament injuries to the knee are increasing. According to a case study, 9.8 injuries per 1000 skiers in the world cup run 38% is knee injuries (Kokmeyer, Wahoff, & Mymern, 2012). Considering the amount of force that skiers exert during mogul skiing it is not surprising knee injuries are highest in comparison to injuries on other body parts. Furthermore, the demand for muscle activity results to increase in velocity, in turn decreasing the radius and increasing the slope grade (Graves, Whitehill, Stream, Vavilala, & Rivara). With all these techniques at once, a skier may lack balance leading to an injury. Recently studies have proven that knee injuries do not necessarily mean the end of skiing for a skier. Through treatment and rehabilitation, a person can recover and resume skiing.
Knee injuries in mogul skiing are a normal phenomenon. Currently, experts are on course to establish the causes of knee injuries due to their prevalence in mogul skiing participants. Furthermore, there is video analysis of knee injury cause in skiing in the Olympics, and the slip-catch situation appears to be the primary cause of knee injury. The slip-catch situation happens when the outer of ski catches inside the edge forcing the outer knee into internal rotation and valgus. Additionally, the slip-catch, according to a study by Brooks, Evans, & Rivara, (2010) shows is also a significant cause of injuries in snowplow sport. Prevention actions for future knee injuries should focus on the slip-catch mechanism and different terrains. The authors did not propose solutions and prevention measures to be put in place.
Mogul skiing has come a long way in giving reports regarding injuries in the sport. However, there are still weaknesses in the field. The first weakness is there is no precise measure for injury risk in skiing and thus making it hard to report injury risks. As stated by Flørenes, Bere, Nordsletten, Heir, & Bahr, choosing the appropriate method to report the risk of injury in skiing is a challenge (2009). The challenge with the source is when reports have to compare skiing injury risks between different skiing populations. The second shortcoming in this article is the injury exposure difference in skiing. It is difficult to compare injury risk between a ski jumper and a downhill skier since the exposure to injuries is different.
Furthermore, skiing fans do not have much knowledge in regards to skiing injuries and how they happen. Most athletes and fans of skiing do not have vital information about skiing (Heir, Krosshaug, &Ekeland, 2003). Moreover, Florenes et al. state that there is an increase in injury rate due to increasing speed while skiing (2009). Additionally, the study states that there is a high prevalence of injuries in male skiers than female skiers. Additionally, skiing injury risks have been in the public domain. However, the two studies did not have any data on injury pattern and injury risk. The available data is limited to the risks related to other sports like long jump pose to the athletes.
There is a need for further research on mogul skiing to identify injury risk factors for different terrain parks when skiing. The programmers should target populations at risk which use terrain parks and ski areas which contain them. An in-depth evaluation of the events that cause injuries in the terrain parks can lead to a change in terrain design and thus preventing more injuries. The model can put a different level of difficulty in the terrain feature for skiers who are beginners are those who are experts. Furthermore, training instructions to skiers, touching on landing and jumping skills can reduce cases of injury by far. Skiing lessons should be compulsory before a person can go out skiing.
Mogul skiing is a great recreational sport. Adolescents enjoy the game so much, and in many cases, their participation in the sport results in severe injuries and sometimes lifelong scars. Further research can be done to establish the reason why adolescents love skiing in comparison to the many available sports. The study should focus on the increasing number of adolescents participating in mogul skiing. It should investigate the drive for skiing among adolescents, highlighting possible implications both negative and positive for their participation. The research will help parents and the community discussion on intervention measures and even guide the adolescents.
References
Bere, T., Flørenes, T. W., Krosshaug, T., Koga, H., Nordsletten, L., Irving, C. … & Bahr, R. (2011). Mechanisms of anterior cruciate ligament injury in World Cup alpine skiing: a systematic video analysis of 20 cases. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 39(7), 1421-1429.
Brooks, M. A., Evans, M. D., & Rivara, F. P. (2010). Evaluation of skiing and snowboarding injuries sustained in terrain parks versus traditional slopes. Injury Prevention, 16(2), 119-122.
Flørenes, T. W., Bere, T., Nordsletten, L., Heir, S., & Bahr, R. (2009). Injuries among male and female World Cup alpine skiers. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 43(13), 973-978.
Graves, J. M., Whitehill, J. M., Stream, J. O., Vavilala, M. S., & Rivara, F. P. (2013). Emergency department reported head injuries from skiing and snowboarding among children and adolescents, 1996–2010. Injury Prevention, 19(6), 399-404.
Heir, S., Krosshaug, T., & Ekeland, A. (2003). The prevalence of previous serious knee injuries in freestyle world championship skiers. In Skiing Trauma and Safety: Fourteenth Volume. ASTM International.
Kokmeyer, D., Wahoff, M., & Mymern, M. (2012). Suggestions from the field for return-to-sport rehabilitation following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: alpine skiing. Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 42(4), 313-325.
