The significance of the triceps surae muscle action as a determinant in the biomechanical genesis of ski fall injuries

In an epidemiologic study of 700 ski fall injuries YOUNG /1/ established a classification of the different fall modes involved. In more than 60 % of all falls that lead to an injury he found a forward bending motion of the body which is frequently coupled with a twisting of the body around the lower extremity. This clearly shows the importance of the forward motion component of the skier’s body in ski fall traumatology. The type of injury and its location depend on the action of the ski binding system. If the binding does not release in a ski fall, the fraction of injuries in the lower extremity amounts to nearly 100 %. If the binding does release, however, the injuries ocurring in this cas…