Avoiding injury
The ski season is upon us and for those of us who love our skiing or boarding, there is nothing worse than being injured. As well as ruining your holiday, it can also complicate your every day life.
Although by the very nature of the word ‘accident' you have to be unlucky to hurt yourself, there is also a lot you can do to prevent the unfortunate happening.
Get fit Making sure that you are as fit as possible for your ski trip will reduce the possibility of getting injured. People that are most at risk are the unconditioned recreational skiers or boarders, as fatigue is the biggest factor leading to injury. Interestingly, the most common time to be injured is the second afternoon of a six-day holiday. The unconditioned skier has completed two days skiing and is at peak fatigue before any training benefit of his activity has kicked in.
Be prepared Get properly kitted out in preparation for your time on the slopes. Wearing a helmet is a sensible idea for skiers and boarders alike and definitely a must for children who are more prone to head injuries. Other protective gear such as body armour or impact shorts can also be a good choice. It goes without saying that having as much of your body covered as possible is a must.
Warm up Warming up prepares your muscles and joints for what is a massive exertion on your body.
- Start with some walking to work up a light sweat and increase the body temperature
- Next, move to a dynamic warm up; starting for the upper body try some arm swings, torso swings and shoulder shrugs.
- Moving to the legs, try some leg swings, knee ups and hip rotations
- Finally some gentle stretches for the leg muscles, hamstrings, quadriceps and calf muscles
You're now ready to ski or board. It's a good idea to perform the leg stretches again after skiing and take a little walk to help the circulation return to the muscles and prevent stiffness next day.
Avoiding injury Statistics show that falls are the biggest cause of on piste injury accounting for 75% of cases, collisions account for 20% and ski lifts for the remainder. Contrary to what most people believe there is very little difference in injury risk between skiers and boarders and several surveys show that a skier is more likely to collide with and injure a fellow skier than a snowboarder! Where there is a difference however is in the type of injury sustained.
Skiers The most common injuries for skiers are knee ligament strains followed by thumb strains and shoulder injuries. The most typical knee injury is to the medial ligament on the inside of the knee. This is usually caused by a twisting fall where the bindings don't release. Having your bindings set correctly so they release when necessary can prevent this type of injury.
The anterior cruciate ligament is also commonly injured when it is put under strain when the lower leg "gets away" from the thigh. Commonly this occurs when the skier attempts to get up while still moving after a fall, leaning back on the skis or trying to sit down after losing control. To avoid thumb injuries try skiing without the hand through the pole straps. The strap locks the hand onto the pole and the pole handle acts as a lever to break the ligament over the thumb joint.
Shoulder injuries are usually caused by a direct fall onto the shoulder or a collision.
Snowboarders
The main concern for snowboarders, especially when learning, is fracturing a wrist. Unfortunately, the natural reaction to falling and losing balance is to put out a hand, and the force from the fall can be enough to break the joint. If the wrist survives the collar bone is often broken as the force of the fall is transmitted up the arm and across the chest. Wearing wrist guards significantly reduces the chance of fracture.
Head injuries are not uncommon with snowboarders; catching an edge and being thrown backwards can often mean thumping your head on the piste. Wearing a helmet will protect a very important part of your body.
To sort out those aches and pains or for advice on long-standing injuries, visit our well-being clinic in London. Mike Nixon is an Osteopath of over 15 years experience. He is currently practising in London after seven years living in the French Alps where he gained experience working with some of the best of Britain's professional skiers and snowboarders.
Mike Nixon
Osteopath Alive + Well,
61 Shelton St,
London,
WC2H 9HE
020 7379 5531
