{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,3]],"date-time":"2026-05-03T09:08:14Z","timestamp":1777799294412,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,3]],"date-time":"2025-10-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759449600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Department of Innovation, Research, University and Museums of the Autonomous Province of Bozen\/Bolzano"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.mdpi.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Distal upper limb injuries are frequent in winter sports, but their functional impact is often underestimated. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology, mechanisms, and risk factors for injuries involving the forearm, wrist, hand, and fingers sustained during two consecutive winter seasons in the Italian Dolomites. Materials and Methods: All adult and willing patients presenting to the Emergency Department of Brixen Hospital after ski- or snowboard-related accidents between December 2023 and March 2025 completed a standardized 23-item questionnaire on demographics, experience level, environmental factors, equipment, and trauma mechanism. For the aim of this study only distal upper limb injuries were extracted and analyzed. Statistical analyses compared fracture versus non-fracture injuries, \u201cgood\u201d versus \u201cbad\u201d fractures (AO classification and surgical complexity), and isolated ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries. Results: A total of 195 patients were analyzed: 96 (49.2%) sustained a fracture and 33 (16.9%) presented with isolated UCL lesions. Fractures occurred more frequently on blue slopes (56.2% vs. 33.3%, p &lt; 0.001), whereas non-fracture injuries predominated on red and off-piste slopes. Age, BMI, and skill level did not differ significantly between groups. Surgically classified complex distal forearm fractures were significantly more frequent in females (p &lt; 0.005) but were not associated with environmental factors. UCL injuries occurred mainly on red slopes (54.5%) and were often related to pole entrapment during falls. None of the injured patients reported the use of protective wrist or thumb supports. Conclusions: Distal upper limb injuries are a common pattern of alpine sports trauma, with wrist fractures and skier\u2019s thumb being predominant lesions. Low-speed falls on easy slopes are associated with wrist fractures, while UCL injuries are linked to intermediate slopes. Preventive strategies should include fall technique education, protective gloves, and improved pole ergonomics.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina61101787","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,3]],"date-time":"2025-10-03T07:57:27Z","timestamp":1759478247000},"page":"1787","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Distal Upper Limb Injuries in Skiing and Snowboarding: A Two-Season Study from a High-Volume Trauma Center in the Italian Dolomites"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"61","author":[{"given":"Michele Paolo","family":"Festini Capello","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department Orthopaedic Surgery, S\u00fcdtiroler Sanit\u00e4tsbetrieb (SABES), Dantestra\u00dfe 51, 39042 Brixen, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nicola","family":"Bizzotto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department Orthopaedic Surgery, S\u00fcdtiroler Sanit\u00e4tsbetrieb (SABES), Dantestra\u00dfe 51, 39042 Brixen, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5942-2281","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fjorela","family":"Qordja","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic of Orthopaedics, Department of Clinical and Molecular Science, Universit\u00e0 Politecnica delle Marche, Via Tronto 10\/a, 60126 Ancona, Italy"},{"name":"Institute of Biomechanics, Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), 5020 Salzburg, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Svea","family":"Misselwitz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department Orthopaedic Surgery, S\u00fcdtiroler Sanit\u00e4tsbetrieb (SABES), Dantestra\u00dfe 51, 39042 Brixen, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chiara","family":"Sernia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department Orthopaedic Surgery, S\u00fcdtiroler Sanit\u00e4tsbetrieb (SABES), Dantestra\u00dfe 51, 39042 Brixen, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-3961-2139","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Salvatore","family":"Gioitta Iachino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department Orthopaedic Surgery, S\u00fcdtiroler Sanit\u00e4tsbetrieb (SABES), Dantestra\u00dfe 51, 39042 Brixen, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-9521-9098","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Petralia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Minivasive Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Life, Health & Environmental Sciences, University of L\u2019Aquila, 67100 L\u2019Aquila, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4946-6288","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valerie A. A.","family":"van Es","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MoMiLab Research Unit, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, 55100 Lucca, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4752-8027","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pier Francesco","family":"Indelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department Orthopaedic Surgery, S\u00fcdtiroler Sanit\u00e4tsbetrieb (SABES), Dantestra\u00dfe 51, 39042 Brixen, Italy"},{"name":"Institute of Biomechanics, Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), 5020 Salzburg, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1924-684X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christian","family":"Schaller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department Orthopaedic Surgery, S\u00fcdtiroler Sanit\u00e4tsbetrieb (SABES), Dantestra\u00dfe 51, 39042 Brixen, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"ASTAT (2025, January 06). 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