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Alpine Ski Bindings and Injuries

Current Findings

Sports Medicine volume 28, pages 35–48 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

In spite of the fact that the overall incidence of alpine ski injuries has decreased during the last 25 years, the incidence of serious knee sprains usually involving the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) has risen dramatically since the late 1970s. This trend runs counter to a dramatic reduction in lower leg injuries that began in the early 1970s and to date has lowered the risk of injury below the knee by almost 90%.

One of the primary design objectives of modern ski boots and bindings has been to protect the skier from tibia and ankle fractures. So, in that sense, they have done an excellent job. However, despite advances in equipment design, modern ski bindings have not protected the knee from serious ligament trauma.

At the present time, we are unaware of any binding design, settings or function that can protect both the knee and lower extremities fromserious ligament sprains. No innovative change in binding design appears to be on the horizon that has the potential to reduce the risk of these severe knee injuries. Indeed, only 1 study has demonstrated a means to help reduce this risk of serious knee sprains, and this study involved education of skiers, not ski equipment.

Despite the inability of bindings to reduce the risk of severe knee injuries there can be no doubt that improvement in ski bindings has been the most important factor in the marked reduction in incidence of lower leg and ankle injuries during the last 25 years. The authors strongly endorse the application of present International Standards Organisation (ISO) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards concerning mounting, setting and maintainingmodern ’state of the art’ bindings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Sports Medicine Division, McClure Musculoskeletal Research Center, The University of Vermont College of Medicine, Robert T. Stafford Hall, Burlington, Vermont, 05405-0084, USA

    Antero Natri,  Bruce D. Beynnon & Robert J. Johnson

  2. Section of Orthopaedics, Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, University of Tampere, and Tampere Research Center of Sports Medicine, UKK Institute, Tampere, Finland

    Antero Natri

  3. Vermont Ski Safety Equipment Inc., Underhill, Vermont, USA

    Carl F. Ettlinger

  4. Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA

    Jasper E. Shealy

Authors
  1. Antero Natri
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  2. Bruce D. Beynnon
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  3. Carl F. Ettlinger
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  4. Robert J. Johnson
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  5. Jasper E. Shealy
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Correspondence to Bruce D. Beynnon.

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Natri, A., Beynnon, B.D., Ettlinger, C.F. et al. Alpine Ski Bindings and Injuries. Sports Med 28, 35–48 (1999). https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199928010-00004

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Keywords

  • Knee Injury
  • International Standard Organisation
  • Alpine Skiing
  • Skiing Injury
  • Knee Sprain