Prepare and you many avoid skiing injuries
Now that Cincinnati has had its first major snowfall this year, many of us are dusting off the skis or snowboards. As we hit the slopes and hills, avoiding injuries should be our main priority.
Proper conditioning before skiing or snowboarding is important. Start your exercises months ahead. You should work with a trainer to develop a strengthening program focusing on the muscles to the knees, hips, ankles, back and abdominals. Combine your conditioning with aerobic training to build endurance and stability and balance exercises.
Once you have progressed with strengthening, start plyometric exercises. These exercises are more demanding, but will increase your power and reaction times. While they are important, if you start them before you have enough strength, you are more likely to become injured. Once you are on the slopes, recognize when you are tired and stop before an injury occurs.
Whether you are just beginning, or ready to start aerial tricks, get instruction from trained teachers. You also need to recognize your abilities, and ski or snowboard accordingly since many serious injuries are from engaging in risky behavior before you are ready.
Despite improvements to equipment and bindings, ACL knee injuries have become more common. Most ACL injuries come from awkward falls or landings from jumps. If you’re headed for a fall, assume a position to reduce your risk. Avoid being off balanced to the rear. Keep your skis together with every joint moderately bent. Your hands and arms should be forward. Sometimes it is better to just fall when you are off balance (many injuries occur during an off balanced recovery) and try to come to a complete stop before getting back up. Details can be found at www.vermontskisafety.com.
Be aware of the terrain. Much like driving a car, you should have a safety zone around you. Understand your stopping/sliding distance and ensure there are no obstacles. Remember the faster you go or the steeper the slope, the more space you need. Also note that changes in the terrain from groomed to non-groomed or icy slopes are more likely to cause accidents.
Finally, wear the protective equipment such as helmets, wrist guards, and properly adjusted bindings. The helmets should be certified, such as the Snell RS98 certification or the more stringent S98 standard. The bindings should be adjusted at least once a year by a ski shop that tests the bindings, not just go by the scale on the bindings.
Snowboarders should consider mid-stiffness or hybrid boots to reduce the risk of ankle and foot injuries. To prevent hand injuries, do not put your hands in the straps on your poles. Or consider using newer straps that separate from the pole in case of a fall. Get into the habit of letting go of the pole when you are falling. It is important for snowboarders to consider wrist guards, since wrist fractures are very common.
With proper conditioning, training, and equipment, skiing and snowboarding can be sports that you can enjoy for years without serious injuries.
Dr. Bill Klein is a sports medicine and family practice physician with Health First Physicians. For more information, call Klein’s office at 618-5530.
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