PREVENTING SKI INJURIES
Atlanta Business Chronicle: 01-19-1998
Jeff Silver Contributing Writer
The post-holiday signs of the season are everywhere -- discarded Christmas trees, lights that the neighbors still haven't taken down and ski trip plans that break up the tedium between New Year's and spring break.
For those making such plans, be sure to take certain precautions so that a trip to the emergency room isn't part of the itinerary.
Dr. Rick Hammesfahr of The Center for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine pointed out that as baby boomers have aged, they are involved in recreational physical activities on an irregular basis while remaining desk-bound and sedentary during working hours. The combination of inadequate physical conditioning with poor nutrition and natural aging processes, like the onset of osteoporosis, sets the stage for broken bones and torn tendons and ligaments.
"People in their 40s and 50s go out thinking they can ski like they did when they were 20," Hammesfahr said. "Getting out of shape and strength loss lead directly to an increased injury rate."
Improvements in equipment and technology have changed the type of injuries skiers sustain. A generation ago, the greatest risk of injury was to the ankle. Today, ski boots have been redesigned to provide greater support to the ankle, but the stress is now directed above the boot, resulting in knee and hamstring injuries, and broken legs as well as damage to associated tendons and ligaments.
In addition, shorter ski designs give greater stability and increased speed. Consequently, skiers fall less and go faster, often beyond their actual ability.
Hammesfahr points out that several other elements also set the stage for injury.
"Skiing involves a number of reflexes the body has to learn," he said. "In the Southeast, most people don't get out skiing that much [compared to colder regions]. They jump back in at the same level where they left off the year before thinking they know the reflexes, but the body hasn't had time to catch up."
In addition, we all want to get our money's worth. Once that trip to the slopes has been paid for, there is a tendency to go out no matter what the conditions are -- on the mountain or within ourselves. Staying up late for aprés-ski activities and getting up early the next day to work in as many runs as possible causes serious fatigue.
However, Hammesfahr did point out, "The older skiers get, the more likely they are to take the conditions into account and not try to squeeze as much as possible out of the lift ticket."
Just as driving instructors stress the importance of driving defensively, the same warning applies to skiing. Crowding at resorts has become a factor as the number of places to ski has decreased over the past 15 years.
At the same time, however, the number of skiers has remained constant.
"A great number of accidents are caused by other skiers who may be on slopes too advanced for their skill level, or by reckless risk-takers who endanger other skiers," Hammesfahr explained.
Ultimately, conditioning is the key to injury prevention. This can be accomplished by aerobic and strength-training sessions three times a week, or through daily visits that alternate aerobics and strength conditioning.
Aerobic training increases the capacity of the cardiovascular system (i.e., the efficiency with which the heart is able to deliver oxygen throughout the body) and weight training strengthens the legs and their ability to withstand the stresses of skiing.
Stretching is another important component, enabling muscles to work more efficiently and reducing the risk of injury in the event of a fall. The end result is analogous to a well-tuned car -- the better conditioned we are, the more of a high-performance "machine" we become.
Hammesfahr pointed out that once people have had an injury, they are more likely to listen to his recommendations.
"Exercise may be a foreign concept to the busy executive who's traveling and on the road, but those are the men and women who are out of shape and getting into trouble," he said. "Once they've had an injury, we'll talk to them about [preparing for] the next year and they're very open to it."
On the equipment side, Hammesfahr suggested paying close attention to binded, which can be the difference between a serious injury and walking away from a fall. The bindings, which attach skis to the boot, should be loose enough to release in a fall, but not so loose that skis slip off on their own. He suggested skiers should set bindings more loosely if they are out of shape.
Helmets are another item many skiers are now considering, particularly in light of recent high-profile fatal skiing accidents.
"While most skiers think of head injuries as a low risk, it's important to be protected, particularly on crowded slopes," Hammesfahr said.
© 1998, Atlanta Business Chronicle
