Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center

Intoduction

FIS and Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre team with dj Orthopedics to develop FIS Injury Surveillance System to reduce injuries in the ski disciplines at the elite level

Oberhofen am Thunersee, Jan 18th, 2006 / -- The International Ski Federation (FIS) and Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre announced that they have agreed to develop an Injury Surveillance System (ISS) for the FIS disciplines of Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding.  

The research project, aimed at reducing the number of injuries suffered by elite athletes in the FIS disciplines, will be supported by research partner dj Orthopedics, a global medical device company specialising in rehabilitation and regeneration products for the non-operative orthopaedic and spine markets.

FIS is concerned about the number of injuries recently suffered by elite athletes in the FIS disciplines. The FIS ISS project will provide us with current and reliable data on injury trends at the elite level so that we can begin to take the appropriate steps to address the risk factors through our rulesand regulations,as well as obtaining a basis for providing proper injury prevention programs, said Bengt Saltin, Chairman of the FIS Medical Committee.  

FIS should be commended for this important initiative to protect the health of their athletes. We believe that this program will provide data to help us understand why and how injuries in the various skiing disciplines occurinformation which is critical to develop effective preventive measures, not just for elite athletes, but for skiers and snowboarders at all levels, commented professorRoald Bahr, chair of the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre.

As a leading edge sports medicine company with a special interest in injury prevention, dj Orthopedics through our DonJoy brand name is looking to support valuable initiatives to help the orthopaedic & sports medicine world develop better treatments and products that help prevent injuries or rehabilitate them more quickly. Therefore we are very pleased to be part of this important research project and look forward to further strengthening our relationship with both the OSTRC as well as with FIS and their members, added Lieve Vanden Berghe, Director, International Marketing & Research for dj Orthopedics.

The specific objectives of the FIS ISS project include monitoring injury patterns in all FIS disciplines; monitoring trends in injury risk across the disciplines; and providing background data for in-depth studies of the causes of injury for particular injury types in specific disciplines, such as serious knee and head injuries.

The research will be led by the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre that was established in May 2000 at theNorwegianUniversityof Sport & Physical Education. Its main objective is to prevent injuries in sports through a long-term research programme focusing on risk factors, injury mechanisms, and injury prevention methodsparticularly in football, team handball, and skiing. dj Orthopedics has agreed to provide the project with financial support as well as assist with practical and communication aspects of the project and its development for a minimum of two years.

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For further information please contact:

- Sarah Lewis, FIS Secretary General on +41 33 244 6121

- Professor Bengt Saltin, FIS Medical Committee on +45 40 36 07 16

- Professor Roald Bahr, Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre on +47 23 26 23 02

- Lieve Vanden Berghe, dj ortho / DonJo on + 32 10 68 64 53