BEIRUT: While for many people, skiing is the most fun you can have with your clothes on, it is not all fun and games. The adrenaline rush you feel gliding down the mountain, cutting corners on powdered snow can make you forget the dangers that come with snow sports.
As with most things, the more you know about skiing, the better you will be at preventing injuries; this will ensure you are back on your feet and back down the slopes in no time.
On Jan. 19, 2012, the world lost Sarah Burke. The Canadian freestyle skier was a four-time Winter X Games gold medalist, died following a training accident in Utah.Competitive skiers can reach very high speeds sliding downhill, often passing the 100 km per hour, which makes the fall borderline fatal.
Although skiing has the reputation of being a dangerous sport, research show that general skiing injury rates have decreased by 50 percent over the past 15 years.
The most likely body part to get injured is the knee which makes about 45 percent of skiing injuries. Although overall injury rates have decreased over the past 15 years, severe knee injuries such as Anterior Cruciate Ligament) ruptures have increased by 172 percent over the same period.
Research suggests that younger, lighter and less experienced subjects are at highest risk of injury. Beginners are thought to be 33 percent more likely to be injured than the more experienced skier. Women are more likely to sustain knee injuries while men are more likely to injure their head or shoulder.
So why does your knees hurt the Monday after that lovely weekend you spent skiing?
Anatomy and BiomechanicsWhen skiing, the foot and ankle are locked into place inside the ski boots, leaving the knee joint relatively unsupported – or ‘floating’ – while bearing the majority of the body weight. The knee joint is composed of three bones: the thigh bone (femur), the shin bone (tibia) and the knee cap (patella). There are ligaments in the front, back and sides of the knee joint that help to stabilize it. The Medial Collateral Ligament is the ligament that runs down the inside of your knee joint, connecting the femur to the tibia, and the ACL crosses over with another ligament at the center of the knee. Cartilage covers the surfaces of the bones, and a special type of cartilage called meniscus cartilage acts as a shock absorber on either side of the joint cartilage.
Most Common Skiing
InjuriesSkiing-related knee problems include tears of the ACL, the deep ligament in the knee, or the MCL, which runs through the middle of the knee. Another common injury is a tear of the meniscus; it is subject to this type of injury due to sharp turns or changes in weight distribution when you are skiing. Each of these injuries can be severe enough to require some action in A&E.
The most common knee injuries due to skiing are to the MCL, according to Sports Injury Bulletin. This happens frequently with beginners who go downhill slowly and twist a knee as a result of angling the feet inward to learn the proper technique. Beginners often sprain the ACL after falling backward, causing the leg to kick out in front. ACL injuries are often associated with injuries to the medial meniscus cartilage. Twisting the knee while skiing may also result in injuries to the medial meniscus cartilage.
IndicatorsSome knee discomfort and soreness may be expected – or ‘normal’- if you haven’t skied in a while, and the muscles around your knee are overworked after a long day on the slopes; that should last for a couple of days. Other symptoms are warning signals that shouldn’t be ignored; for example, a popping sound followed by knee pain can indicate a meniscus and/or ligament injury. An inability to bear weight on the leg or pain that gets worse with time can indicate a more serious condition. Extreme swelling or pain can also signal the need to seek professional medical intervention.
Symptoms of a torn ACL include an audible popping sound followed by intense pain, accompanied by an inability to straighten the knee. Swelling could appear later in some cases. There are three grades of sprained ACL, according to Sports Injury Clinic. Grade one sprains may be accompanied by moderate tenderness on the inside of the knee with no swelling. Grade two sprains are followed by significant pain over the ligament on the inside of the knee with some swelling. A grade three sprain has a complete tear in the ligament with less pain than grade two and a lot more swelling. Your knee may feel loose and unstable.
Symptoms of a tear in the meniscus cartilage may include an inability to bear weight on the injured knee, pain on the medial surface of the knee, swelling within 48 hours of the injury, and an inability to bend (or straighten) the knee completely, sometimes accompanied by a clicking sound.PreventionOne of the most important things you can do to prevent injury and pain caused by skiing is to undergo a conditioning program before going skiing. Conditioning programs that build the strength of the specific muscle groups used while skiing help you maintain proper technique and sustain longer time on the slopes.