Knee protectors and cautious behavior linked to lower severe injury risk in injured skiers and snowboarders

A retrospective cross-sectional injury-severity study analyzed 2,369 injured adult skiers and snowboarders treated at resort medical clinics and emergency departments at two ski resorts in Zhangjiakou, China. The study examined associations between severe injury (defined as injury severity score above 15) and several factors including knee protector use and self-reported cautious risk behavior, along with age, body mass index, temperature, and snow depth. No specific comparator was reported for the exposure factors.

Among the 2,369 injured participants, 339 experienced severe injuries (14.3%). Knee protector use was associated with significantly lower odds of severe injury (OR=0.57, p=0.005). Similarly, cautious risk behavior was associated with lower odds of severe injury (OR=0.46, p=0.005), though absolute numbers for this association were not reported. The direction of both associations was protective.

Safety and tolerability data were not reported. Key limitations include the retrospective cross-sectional design, which cannot establish causality or temporal relationships. The study population consisted only of injured individuals presenting for care, which may not represent all skiers and snowboarders. Funding sources and conflicts of interest were not reported.

For clinical practice, these findings suggest that knee protector use and cautious behavior patterns may be associated with reduced severe injury risk among those who do get injured. However, clinicians should interpret these as observational associations rather than evidence of protective effects. The study does not address whether these factors prevent injuries from occurring in the first place.