3 Common Ski-Snowboard Injuries
The time has finally come for Americans to get out onto the slopes! Here in the northeast, snow has been scarce for the past few years, so any chance we get is a big opportunity to scale a mountain. Dust off the ski’s & snowboards, wax the edges and pick up your lift tickets...it’s time to shred some fresh powder!
WAIT!!!
Before you get too excited, keep in mind that it may have been a while since your last mountain excursion. Quickly read up on some of these common injuries so you know what to expect once you’ve hopped on the lift. Knowledge is power! In this case, the more you know, the more you can avoid these typical problems. I was fortunate to spend 3 months working at Aspen Sports Medicine (Aspen, CO) during my clinical internships, treating a multitude of ski & snowboard injuries, while working with several high-level competitive snow-sport athletes. These were the most common injuries we treated:
Low Back Pain
Injury to the lower back can occur during snow-sports activities in several ways. For example, taking too quick of a turn, overuse/fatigue, or taking a hard fall. We have to be extra aware of our surroundings when out on the mountain, especially when there are a lot of people on the same run. Get in the habit of keeping your head on a swivel and watch out for that little 10 year old with no fear, gunning it down the slopes at top speed, leaving you and many others in their wake of snow. We have all seen this child or maybe at one point in time, we WERE that child! One false move and you can easily go from cruising at a comfortable pace, to being tossed on your behind to avoid a collision. Landing hard on the tailbone for a snowboarder, or going end-over-end on the ski’s are sure ways to hurt the lower back.
Patellar Tendinitis
Skiing & snowboarding are awesome leg workouts! The more time you spend going downhill, the more your quads will kick on to help you stabilize and maintain your pace. Especially for snowboarders, the need to pivot onto your toes for turning will place some extra-added pressure on the top of your thighs. If not properly conditioned, these quad muscles will pull hard on the patella (kneecap), causing irritation and potentially some micro-tearing of the patellar tendon. This injury typically causes pain just below the kneecap and is very difficult to avoid during snow-sport activities. Be mindful of how long you’re out on the slopes and take some rest between each run, to ensure you give your legs enough time to recover.
High Ankle Sprain
Although technology has improved the design and fit of ski/snowboard boots in recent years, we cannot ignore the simple fact that you are locked into your gear. When one joint is TOO stable, our body will find ways to move at the joints above or below, to compensate for being immobile somewhere else. In this case, when the foot & ankle are locked into your boot/bindings, the tib-fib joint of the lower leg will move more than it usually does. This will help to provide some mobility during turns and absorb shock with moguls. With overuse, too quick of a turn, or a single traumatic event such as a fall, it is common to see high ankle sprains in skiing & snowboarding. The joint will twist & separate more than it is designed to, causing inflammation, micro-tearing and pain, usually along the lateral aspect of the ankle.
Now that you have some education on these common injuries, it will be easier for you to notice when your body is getting tired, if you need to rest, or if you have in fact suffered one of these injuries. If you are working through one of these injuries, or there is something else that you are dealing with, preventing you from getting up on the mountain, do not hesitate to contact Restore Physical Therapy ASAP! There may not be too many snow days left, but we want you to enjoy as many of them as possible!
Click the button below to sign up for a FREE Discovery Session! Let the experts of Restore PT help you to determine if physical therapy is an appropriate option for you to eliminate pain and get back to living the life you love!