JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCE & MEDICINE

Research article

A COMPARISON OF WAKEBOARD-, WATER SKIING-, AND TUBING-RELATED INJURIES IN THE UNITED STATES, 2000-2007

John I. Baker1, Russell Griffin1, Paul F. Brauneis3, Loring W. Rue, III1 and Gerald McGwin, Jr.1,2

1Center for Injury Sciences at UAB and Section of Trauma, Burns, and Surgical Critical Care, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, and 2Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 3Sycamore Networks, Chelmsford, MA, USA.

Received   08 October 2009 Accepted   16 December 2009 Published   01 March 2010

© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2010) 9, 92 - 97

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to compare tubing-related injuries to wakeboarding- and water skiing-related injuries. Data was collected from the 2000-2007 National Electronic Injury Surveillance Survey for 1,761 individuals seeking care at an emergency department due to a tubing-, wakeboarding, or water skiing-related injury. Data included patient age and sex, as well as injury characteristics including body region injured (i.e., head and neck, trunk, shoulder and upper extremity, and hip and lower extremity) and diagnosis of injury (e.g., contusion, laceration, or fracture). Case narratives were reviewed to ensure that a tubing-, wakeboarding-, or water skiing-related injury occurred while the individual was being towed behind a boat. Severe injury (defined as an injury resulting in the individual being hospitalized, transferred, held for observation) was compared among the groups using logistic regression. Wakeboard- and tubing-related injuries more commonly involved the head and neck, while water skiing- related injuries were likely to involve the hip and lower extremity. Tubing-related injuries, compared to water skiing-related injuries, were more likely to be severe (OR 2.31, 95% CI 1.23-4. 33). Like wakeboarding and water skiing, tubing has inherent risks that must be understood by the participant. While tubing is generally considered a safer alternative to wakeboarding and water skiing, the results of the current study suggest otherwise. Both the number and severity of tubing- related injuries could be prevented through means such as advocating the use of protective wear such as helmets while riding a tube or having recommended safe towing speeds prominently placed on inner tubes. Key words: Water tubing, water skiing, wakeboarding, epidemiology, injury.

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