Philadelphia (February 2002)—The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City may encourage many people to try skiing, hockey, and other winter sports. While everyone is anticipating a fun and safe time, Magee Rehabilitation Hospital reminds all winter sports enthusiasts to take the following safety measures: 

• Always wear the proper protective gear for the sport in which you are involved. Use helmets, knee, elbow, wrist, shin protectors, proper footwear, mouthpiece, and proper clothing.
• When sledding, choose a hill that is away from roads and parking lots. There should be no rocks, trees, fences, or other dangers in the path.
• Sled down the middle of a hill and be sure to move away quickly once reaching bottom.
• When skiing or snowboarding, make sure that bindings will release easily during falls. Boots that stay attached to skis or snowboards during falls can cause severe ankle injuries.
• When playing hockey and a collision is unavoidable, keep your head up to avoid serious neck or spinal cord injuries.
• Keep equipment well maintained and in good working order by following a regular inspection and maintenance schedule.
• Always warm up before any sports/recreational activities.
• Never ignore pain. Seek medical attention if you are hurt. 

The statistics of sports-related injuries are sobering. In 2000, between 30,000 and 35,000 children in the U.S. went to emergency rooms for sledding injuries. According to Dr. Dan Weinstein, Medical Director of Brain Injury Rehabilitation at Magee Rehabilitation: 

• Brain injuries cause more deaths than any other sports-related injury.
• The most common brain injury is a concussion. There are approximately 300,000 sports-related concussions each year in the United States.
• Sports-related injuries are more likely than other injuries to be to the brain or skull and extremities.