Spinal injury related to alpine winter sports

Winter sports are the cause of a significant number of spinal injuries in Switzerland. However, the number of patients, the mechanism, the presentation, the diagnosis and the treatment of vertebral fractures have considerably evolved over the last decades. As the hospital of Sion, in Valais, is particularly exposed to these diagnoses, we analyzed two series of prospective cases 30 years apart (1989-1990 and 2019-2020) and propose a review of the main types and mechanisms of fractures, diagnosis, and management for the primary care physician.