Tips for a happy, healthy and (hopefully) injury-free skiing trip
Physiotherapist and Director of Physio Remedies, Paul Martin writes: If you fail to prepare you are preparing to fail. This and hundreds of other nags from childhood frustratingly seem to prove themselves as we get older. This is just as true with a ski trip as anything else, so here are a few things to consider.
1. Prepare well
Try to arrive in good physical condition. Being stronger and well coordinated helps you be more robust as you hit the slopes, but aerobic fitness is important with regards to acclimatisation. The earlier you can start working on this, the better, however it’s never too late to start to make changes (starting three days beforehand might be pushing the bounds of physiological adaptation a little bit).
Ideally aerobic fitness levels should be worked on two tot three months prior to your holiday, whether it is running, swimming or biking. Increase your effort gradually over this time and then two weeks before keep training at a maintenance level appropriate for you.
2. Take a relaxing walk on arrival
Carrying bags, skis, kit and other peripherals adds extra load to travel, which is in itself an energy sapping experience. When you arrive at your hotel/chalet and have checked in, go for a walk to loosen off so you are not hitting the slopes tight and tired.
3. Stay hydrated
Dehydration can have effects on many body systems from the annoying (bad breath and dry skin) to something more important for physical activity (muscle cramps and slow response times).
On the plane/bus/car journey ensure you drink water or diluted juice drinks and during your trip be conscious of how much alcohol, drinks high in sugar and caffeine you are consuming, especially if you are unable to get water on board.
Quick checks are colour of urine (should be more straw yellow colour than milkless builder’s tea) or pinch a small area of skin – it should return to shape within two seconds if hydrated enough.
4. Get extra sleep
Get extra sleep on the first few days, better to go to bed early than having a lay in.
5. Pop your goggles on early
Start wearing your goggles half an hour before you are due to start your first run, as it allows your eyes to adapt to the change in colour which in turn will improve your reaction time on the run. Good reactions minimise risk of injury.
6. Allow time to find your 'ski-legs'
If it’s been a while since you last skied, allow yourself time to acclimatise and get your 'ski-legs'. Keep it simple, stick to easier runs initially and don’t push too hard too soon. After the first couple of runs and when you feel you have got your rhythm – enjoy!
7. Eat sensibly
Be sensible with your diet – keep it balanced with a slightly higher volume of carbohydrate as these break down most easily into useable energy.
8. Warm up and warm down every day
Make sure you warm up and warm down as what may seem no problem on day two, might well be a problem on day five. Tight and tired muscles can impede reaction time and enjoyment of skiing.
9. Do you really need to fit in that 'last run of the day'?
In the vast majority of post-injury physio sessions, when asked what happened to cause the problem the opening line is very often ‘It was the last run of the day and I thought I could just squeeze another one in’. If you are tired (but might not be feeling it), if things are getting icier (especially if your reactions are slowing down), if you have half a mind on what you are doing that evening rather than the slopes, is it worth the risk of a nasty injury?
10. A word about knee injuries
Although skiing injuries usually affect multiple areas of the body, the knee is the most commonly injured body part, with evidence indicating 42% in some studies. Further to this, the ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) is the highest injury observed within the knee occurring in all ages, genders and technical levels.
Our knee specialist physio, Stuart Mailer, has written a blog post dedicated to avoiding knee-related skiing injuries.
Take home:
Prepare well if you‘ve not been as active as you would have liked in the previous few months.
Be mindful of what you eat for fuel and drink to remain hydrated
Don’t take silly risks, especially early on in your holiday and at the end of the day
Stay safe and have a fabulous holiday!
If you do have an accident or pick up an injury whilst on your winter hols, call us on 02030 12 12 22 to book an appointment. We work with the top surgeons in the UK and can help put you back together again.
Words by Paul Martin.
Avoiding skiing-related knee injuries
Avoiding skiing-related knee injuries
Many of us will be getting ready to go on our skiing trips within the next few weeks or months and enjoyable as this will be, unfortunately can cause injuries. Skiing does not affect only one anatomical area and injuries can occur to the head, shoulder, wrist, thumb and of course the knee. The knee is the most commonly injured body part in skiing with the evidence indicating 42% in some studies. Further to this, the ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) is the highest injury observed within the knee occurring in all ages, genders and technical levels.
Injuring the ACL
The ACL is one of the knees biggest stabilisers and injury normally occurs from a fall, either forward and with a twist or falling backward. Normally the knee will rotate internally causing knee valgus (knee caves inwards towards your mid line). It is not uncommon to injure the meniscus and the medial collateral ligament (MCL) at the same time as the ACL - this is known as the unhappy triad. Interestingly it has been seen that a lack of fitness is one of the most contributing factors indicating that physical preparation can assist in injury prevention measures.
Exercise Intervention
When we land on one leg the hip muscles help to prevent the knee joints rolling inward (knee valgus) while the quadriceps help reduce forces on the knee joint helping deccelerate the body. The hamstring and calf muscles also work to help reduce knee joint forces, stabilising the pelvis and knee and ankle.
Undergoing a basic injury prevention exercise plan can significantly help in not just reducing injury but also improving your skiing consistency as you can improve, muscular strength, endurance, anaerobic fitness, stability, agility and flexibility.
Muscular strength
Recreational skiing is associated with the high muscular use of the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteal and calf muscles. Evidence has shown that prolonged skiing causes increased eccentric fatigue of the quadriceps and hamstrings that may contribute to injury. To help reduce this lower body exercise such as squats, lunges and single leg squats are all beneficial in improving your lower limb strength and stability.
Neuromuscular/Proprioceptive training
Undergoing some sports specific training, particularly neuromuscular or proprioceptive training, can be beneficial in helping to reduce technical mistakes while skiing. These are training methods that can involve jumping, landing or pivoting or balance work that can help stabilise your knee and leg. These can be undertaken by using a variety of equipment such as the Bosu, inflatable discs, foam pads, wobble boards and jump mats. Improved joint awareness and ability to stabilise can help in skiing performance and injury prevention.
Mobility/Flexibility
A reduction in flexibility of muscle groups and poor joint mobility can cause increase loading on joints and other tissues due to limitations in our movements. For example, tight calf muscles will reduce the ability to squat without lifting the heels. This may cause knee valgus that can then put higher forces into the knee joint. Maintaining good flexibility of the lower limb muscles can help you move more efficiently and improve muscular activation and proprioception.
How physiotherapists can help
We can perform a musculoskeletal screening to help to find your imbalances, biomechanical dysfunctions and then implement a plan to help address these aiding to your injury prevention and performance.
To book an appointment with Stuart or our other physios call us on 02030 12 12 22.
Words by Stuart Mailer.