by Dr. Terrell Joseph
We see a lot of skiers and snowboarders after on-mountain injuries. And we don't want you to be one of them. Use these tips to help avoid injury and stay out of my office!
1. Drink Plenty of Water
Dehydration is common in the mountains and causes your energy to decrease, which could potentially result in injury.
2. Ski to Your Ability & Stay Under Control
The phenomenon of the “weekend warrior”, who gets more easily fatigued versus the well-conditioned athlete, is a common factor in injuries at the end of the day. Furthermore, we see injuries in patients who ski or snowboard beyond their ability.
Above all else, most of our surgeries are the result of one party or another being “out of control”. Anecdotally, after speaking to thousands of recently injured patients, the most common descriptions of an accident is one of the following:
I got out of control and crashed
Someone else got out of control and ran into the back of me or over me
I hit a patch of ice or unexpected terrain
I overshot or “knuckled” (undershot) the jump
My arm/leg hit the rail in the terrain park
The old adage of “staying in control” cannot be overstated. By design, skiing and snowboarding is fairly ballistic - think about what your body is doing through space. If your energy can get dispersed, for example sliding to a stop, then your body usually isn’t forced to “absorb” it. But fixed objects, collisions and sudden forceful decelerations are the common denominators that understandably cause significant injury.
You would never consider jumping out of a moving vehicle at 30 mph into a wooded forest. Flying fast through the woods on skis or a snowboard is analogous. Those are some of the most dramatic injures that we see on the slopes. Use common sense and extra caution in the woods.
3. Experience Matters
Preventing injuries varies on your experience. Beginners, especially snowboarders, have to pad up. The “whiplash” of a beginner snowboard injury is fast and unpredictable, with common head injuries as you fall back. Wearing a helmet and wrist guards will keep you out of the hospital.
4. Stretch
Stretching also can help prevent muscle tears, tendon tears and overuse-type injuries associated with using muscles uncommonly stressed. These tendons and muscles are routinely tested while skiing and snowboarding especially among the weekend warriors or the visitors who ski once a year.
5. A Brace Can Help
Studies have convincingly shown if you apply enough physics to a knee, no external brace will effectively “prevent” a ligament injury. But it definitely provides a sense of feedback to your brain so that it knows where your knee is in space. This alone may provide a sense of protective sensibility as patients regularly report they have more confidence and security while skiing with a brace
In conclusion, skiing and snowboarding is a recreational sport, and continues to statistically remain a relatively safe sport as evidenced by the huge numbers of people who participate. Staying reasonably fit, having an awareness of others around you, staying in control of your body, and not regularly “trying things” (like leaving the earth without a plan), makes skiing and snowboarding a rewarding lifetime sport that keeps you fit, active and healthy.