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  • ‘Every turn can be the last one I do’ - Perceptions of injury risk in high-performance snow sports and its implication for injury prevention

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Original research
‘Every turn can be the last one I do’ - Perceptions of injury risk in high-performance snow sports and its implication for injury prevention
  1. Oriol Bonell Monsonís1,2,
  2. Evert Verhagen1,2,
  3. Jörg Spörri3,4,
  4. Vincent Gouttebarge2,5,6,
  5. Caroline Bolling1,5
  1. 1 Amsterdam Collaboration on Health & Safety in Sports, Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam UMC, University Medical Centres – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  2. 2 Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Musculoskeletal Health & Sports, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  3. 3 Sports Medical Research Group, Department of Orthopaedics, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
  4. 4 University Centre for Prevention and Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
  5. 5 Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  6. 6 Section Sports Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
  1. Correspondence to Oriol Bonell Monsonís, Department of Public and Occupational Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands; o.bonellmonsonis{at}amsterdamumc.nl

Abstract

Objectives High-performance snow sports (HPSS) athletes compete in a performance-driven context with a high risk of injury. While there is a lack of evidence on effective prevention measures in snow sports, this study explored the perspectives and perceptions of HPSS stakeholders on sports injury prevention.

Methods We conducted an exploratory qualitative study based on the grounded theory principles through 11 semistructured interviews with athletes, coaches and healthcare providers from different national teams about sports injury prevention. The interviews were inductively analysed through constant comparative data analysis.

Results Participants defined risk management as a central concept in which they approached injury prevention by assessing, managing and sometimes accepting risks. Many factors, such as athlete-related and external factors, are considered in this process, ultimately influencing their decision-making. Participants acknowledged the value of experience when managing and dealing with risks, a key aspect of their learning process and career development. Within this context, open and trustworthy communication and shared responsibilities among all stakeholders influenced and shaped injury prevention strategies and behaviours. Understanding and balancing out speed and risks was considered pivotal in their daily practice. Therefore, injury prevention awareness, ownership, communication, teamwork and shared responsibilities may contribute to the success of sports injury prevention in HPSS.

Conclusion These findings substantiate the significance of such contextual factors in sports injury prevention. Considering the high-risk nature of HPSS, injury prevention suggests a shift towards risk management strategies, with a strong emphasis on contextual factors and their interactions. Young athletes might benefit from educational interventions centred on developing skills to assess and manage risks.

  • Sports / Leisure Facility
  • Recreation / Sports
  • Qualitative research
  • Risk Perception
  • Behavior

Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request. However, key data are anonymously shared in the results and no data with the potential to identify participants, such as audio files, can be shared.

https://doi.org/10.1136/ip-2023-045084

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    Data availability statement

    Data are available upon reasonable request. However, key data are anonymously shared in the results and no data with the potential to identify participants, such as audio files, can be shared.

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    Footnotes

    • X @oriolbonellm, @@EvertVerhagen, @@VGouttebarge, @@cs_bolling

    • Contributors OBM, CB and EV designed the study. OBM and CB coordinated the study. JS recruited athletes and staff. OBM and CB conducted the data analysis. OBM, CB, EV and JS interpreted the results. OBM drafted the first version. CB, EV, JS and VG contributed intellectually and provided feedback on various drafts. All authors were involved in editing the manuscript and approved the final manuscript. EV acted as guarantor.

    • Funding This work was supported by the Government of Andorra from a predoctoral grant, ATC028 - AND - Year 2021. No other sources of funding were used to assist in the preparation of this article.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.