Training and injury prevention strategies in extreme sports

Abstract

Athletes who participate in extreme or adrenaline sports accept a certain level of risk of injury. These injuries range in severity from minor abrasions and overuse injuries to fatal and catastrophic. An individual athlete determines an acceptable level of risk within a respective sport. As clinicians, our roles range from emergency medical care in the field or a clinic setting to preseason prevention programs and training. This chapter will focus on the injury prevention and training. The demands vary from sport to sport. For example, backcountry skiing and snowboarding will have obvious varied requirements than mountaineering or climbing. Due to this, preventative measures will be broken down into the following: skiing/snowboarding, climbing/mountaineering, and mountain biking.