How to Ski Safely and Prevent Injuries (with video)
No one wants a ski vacation cut short by an injury. So how to best protect yourself from injury? Don't ski late in the day.
Statistics have shown that most ski injuries occur toward the end of the day, according to the Steadman Clinic, which specializes in sports medicine and orthopaedic surgery in Vail and Frisco, Colorado (see video below).
"If it is 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon and you are thinking of taking one more run, you may want to think twice about that because more people are hurt at the end of the day," says Tom R. Hackett, orthopaedic surgeon with the Steadman Clinic in Vail who is also a team physician for the U.S. Snowboard Team.
On average, snowboarders sustain more injuries with their wrists, arms and upper extremities while downhill skiers have more injuries in their lower extremities, especially their knees and legs. Amateurs incur more wrist injuries whereas professional snowboarders tend to get injuries head to toe.
There are a number of studies that look at the success rate of preventing injuries with wrist guards. There are some studies that support that, but other studies have concluded the opposite, so it is debatable whether they help or not, says Hackett. "They can be useful for some riders---especially beginners," he adds.
Doing some strengthening and conditioning long before you get on the slopes is by far the most important thing you can do to, Hackett advises.
One of the more common injuries for skiers is ligament tear and ACL tear. "By strengthening your hamstring muscles and some of the other muscles in the back of your legs you can help to prevent that," he says. Likewise, studies have shown that people are typically more often injured at the end of their vacation.
"So we try to tell people that taking a rest day during their vacation is a wise thing to do," Hackett adds.
There are a number of studies that look at the success rate of preventing injuries with wrist guards. There are some studies that support that, but other studies have concluded the opposite, so it is debatable whether they help or not, says Hackett. "They can be useful for some riders---especially beginners," he adds.
Doing some strengthening and conditioning long before you get on the slopes is by far the most important thing you can do to, Hackett advises.
One of the more common injuries for skiers is ligament tear and ACL tear. "By strengthening your hamstring muscles and some of the other muscles in the back of your legs you can help to prevent that," he says. Likewise, studies have shown that people are typically more often injured at the end of their vacation.
"So we try to tell people that taking a rest day during their vacation is a wise thing to do," Hackett adds.
