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Avoiding Early Injury

Advice from a U.S. Ski and Snowboard Teams' Doctor

For the 28+ million Americans who take to the slopes each winter on skis or snowboards, the autumn chill in the air and the first flakes of snow conjure excitement for the winter sports season ahead. While most are well aware of the preparations that need to be made beforehand to ensure safety – from pre-season strengthening and flexibility workouts to servicing equipment – many ski and snowboard enthusiasts still approach the first few runs of the season with some apprehension. The fear: An early-season injury that could relegate them to the lodge for the rest of the winter.

"After months off the slopes, the body needs time and practice to readjust to the physical requirements of skiing and boarding – even when participants have spent months training in advance of the season," says Dr. Kevin Plancher, a leading NY-area orthopedist and an official surgeon of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Teams. "This is a time when novice and expert alike, for different reasons, may be prone to injury."

Dr. Plancher explains that, while new skiers and boarders are likely to sustain an injury relating to inexperience, the more advanced participants can become injured when attempting to do too much too fast. "Expecting to jump right back in to the sport at the level at which they left off in March can get many well-trained, experienced skiiers and boarders into trouble early in the season," he says.

Skiing and snowboarding are among the most physically demanding sports, due in large part to the stress they place on the ligaments in the body. "Ligaments are the tough, fibrous structures that connect bone structures together to form the joints," Dr. Plancher says. "They are responsible for providing much of the body's flexibility, which is critical in a sport like downhill skiing or snowboarding." The most relied-upon ligaments – and the most prone to injury – in skiing and snowboarding are those of the knees (about 25 percent of all ski injuries), followed by the hands.

"We frequently see early season injuries that affect the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and the Medial Meniscus in the knee, along with the ulnar collateral ligament located at the base of the thumb webspace," Dr. Plancher says. While knee ligament strains and tears can occur during active skiing and boarding, most injuries to the thumb happen during a fall, when the grip on the ski pole can jam the thumb backwards – causing an injury now known as "skier's thumb."

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