TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2004//
TI  - A prospective study of kitesurfing injuries
JO  - American journal of sports medicine
A1  - Nickel, Christoph
A1  - Zernial, Oliver
A1  - Musahl, Volker
A1  - Hansen, Ute
A1  - Zantop, Thore
A1  - Petersen, Wolf
SP  - 921
EP  - 927
VL  - 32
IS  - 4
N2  - BACKGROUND: To date, the pattern and rate of kitesurfing injuries are largely unclear. HYPOTHESIS: The pattern and rate of kitesurfing injuries are comparable to that of contact sports such as football and soccer. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study. <br><br>METHODS: The study was conducted over a 6-month period of 1 season and included 235 kitesurfers. <br><br>RESULTS: The number of self-reported injuries was 124, for an overall self-reported injury rate of 7 per 1000 hours of practice. One fatal accident (polytrauma) and 11 severe injuries occurred during the study period (2 knee ligament injuries and 9 fractures at various sites). The most commonly injured sites were the foot and ankle (28%), skull (14%), chest (13%), and knee (13%). Fifty-six percent of the injuries were attributed to the inability to detach the kite from the harness in a situation involving loss of control over the kite. There was a tendency for athletes using a quick-release system to sustain fewer injuries than athletes without such a release system. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Kitesurfing can be considered a high-risk sport. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The use of a quick-release system that enables the surfers to detach the kite in case of an accident might aid in the prevention of injuries.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0363-5465
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -