Association of personal and equipment-related factors on ACL injury risk in alpine skiers with cautious or risk-taking behaviour: A case-control study

Gerhard Ruedl; Markus Posch; Elena Pocecco; Katja Tecklenburg; Birgit Schliernzauer; Michael D Kennedy; Martin Faulhaber; Martin Burtscher

doi:10.3934/publichealth.2023026

Association of personal and equipment-related factors on ACL injury risk in alpine skiers with cautious or risk-taking behaviour: A case-control study

AIMS Public Health. 2023 May 6;10(2):348-359. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2023026. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Gerhard Ruedl¹, Markus Posch¹, Elena Pocecco¹, Katja Tecklenburg², Birgit Schliernzauer², Michael D Kennedy³, Martin Faulhaber¹, Martin Burtscher¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
² Medalp sportclinic, Imst, Austria.
³ Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation, University of Alberta, Van Vliet Ctr, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H9, Canada.

Abstract

Background: In recreational alpine skiing ACL injury risk depends on the interaction of individual characteristics and behaviours as well as on equipment-related factors.

Aim: to evaluate if and to what extent personal characteristics and equipment-related parameters are associated with ACL injury risk in cautious and risk-taking recreational alpine skiers.

Methods: A retrospective questionnaire-based, case-control study of ACL-injured and uninjured in a cohort of cautious as well as risk-taking recreational skiers was conducted. Participants self-reported their demographics, skiing skill level, and risk-taking behaviour. Ski length, side-cut radius, widths of the tip, waist, and tail were recorded from each participant's skis. Standing heights at the front and rear components of the ski binding were measured with a digital sliding caliper, and a standing height ratio between the front and rear components was calculated. Ski boot sole abrasion at the toe and heel pieces was also measured with the digital sliding caliper.

Results: In total, 1068 recreational skiers (50.8% females) with a mean age of 37.8 ± 12.3 years participated, of whom 193 (22.0%) sustained an ACL injury, and 330 (30.9%) participants reported a risk-taking behaviour. Results of the multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that a higher age, a lower skill level, a higher standing height ratio, and greater ski boot sole abrasion at the toe as well as heel pieces were independently associated with an increased ACL injury risk in both the cautious and the risk-taking group. Among cautious skiers, a longer ski length was an additional significant risk factor for sustaining an ACL injury. In conclusion, the same personal and equipment related characteristics contribute to an increase in the ACL injury risk regardless of risk-taking behaviour, with the only difference that longer skis represent an additional risk factor in cautious skiers.

Keywords: ACL injury; alpine skiing; risk-taking behaviour; ski geometry; standing heights.