Hitting the Slopes This Ski Season?

One of Hunterdon Orthopaedic spine specialists Dr. Thomas St. John co-authored a research study on thoracic and lumbar fractures associated with skiing and snowboarding injuries. According to the article posted on Pubmed.gov “the incidence of spinal fractures varies form 1% to 17% in alpine skiing injuries.” The purpose of the study is to address the patterns of spinal fractures related with these sports and to determine occurrence of various fracture groups and subgroups as well as to determine whether the fracture patterns vary between skiing and snowboarding injuries.

In summary the findings of this study is that “thoracic and lumbar fractures caused by skiing and snowboarding are mainly stable injuries, composed of either compression fractures, mostly simple compression injuries, or isolated transverse and spinous process fractures. Neurological injury was not seen in this study.”

For the complete details of the study please visit http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/22700890/

You Might Also Enjoy...

How Your Weight Affects Your Sciatica Pain

Sciatica pain arises from a wide range of injuries and conditions. When it comes to treatment and resolving the symptoms, your weight is one factor that you can control to positively impact your outcome.

How You Can Avoid Problems with Your Rotator Cuff

You may think baseball pitchers have a monopoly on rotator cuff injuries, but it can and does happen to people from all walks of life. If you want to steer clear of this painful shoulder injury, here’s what you need to know.

The Most Common Causes of Hip Pain

Your hip is the largest and one of the most durable joints in your body. As strong as it is though, it’s still vulnerable to injury. This post describes some of the most common causes of hip pain.

Are Spine Injections Safe?

When you have chronic back pain, you may hear the recommendation to get an injection in your spine. Learn more about the safety of spine injections.