Spinal fractures in recreational bobsledders: an unexpected mechanism of injury
Severson and colleagues describe isolated thoracolumbar fractures in a couple that were caused by an unusual mechanism. Rather than having resulted from a more typical traumatic event, the injuries seem to have occurred due to gravitational forces in which the patients were subjected while descending an Olympic bobsled run. The authors provided an excellent description of the typical forces required to cause fracture in osteopenic vertebrae and a cogent argument as to how this threshold can be exceeded during the bobsled descent that resulted in a near simultaneous “popping” sensation with subsequent back pain in both patients.
The simultaneous aging of our population and increased desire to remain active during later years will undoubtedly result in an increasing number of patients doing activities that subject their vertebrae to forces that exceed their fracture threshold. Although in this particular instance it would be difficult to define the specific risk of fracture caused by gravitational forces sustained during an otherwise uneventful bobsled ride in any given individual, this report is useful in alerting both organizers and participants engaging in such activities of the risk of possible spinal fracture in individuals with known risk factors for compromised bone density, which can in turn allow for a more informed decision as to whether one may choose to participate.