Ski Conditioning
Is your stoke building for the upcoming season? Now that we are in December, if you are like me you keep a close eye on the snow forecast & the accumulated snowfall.
Ski patrol have just gone through all of their training. Brushing up on our skills to get patients safely off of the hill and properly treated. Even though we went through a plethora of scenarios, about one third of what we treat is still the knees.
Once the knees go, a cascade of other issues develop. I all too often see in my office patients that are nursing old knee injuries, myself included. The nursing at this point can be anything from persistent knee pain to hip issues. If you have an old knee injury it may be more difficult to exercise due to a lowered pain tolerance which can lead to weight gain. Yet extra weight is a double edged sword as it puts more strain on the knees.
Mood can be greatly affected by knee pain. Think of it - when you can't do what you love to do you can't live out your passion.
So take care of your knees, and your whole self will thank you.
Prevention is always the best medicine. When it comes to skiing it is the pre-season attitude that keeps you living in the stoke. Squats. Biking. Rowing. All of the things that build the quads and take pressure off of the knees. Conditioning even a few weeks before skiing can help minimize the chance of a skiing knee injury.
Get your equipment checked. Bindings that don't release correctly is an all too common reason for a twisted knee injury. Ski on equipment that is tuned up so that your edges can carve properly and can control your speed in icy conditions.
Build up your ski day. All too often ski patrol has a surge of injuries towards the end of the day. This volume may be due to skiing after having a few beers at lunch. Or simply due to muscle fatigue. Know your limits and when to call it a day and head for a hot tub.
Get old injuries treated. Just like you get your ski equipment checked, keep your body in tune. If you are in pain at the start of your day, it would be a good reason to seek treatment.
Consider advanced therapies like Prolotherapy and Platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections. The reason why these regenerative therapies work so well for knees is that they correct the cause of the knee pain.
Prolotherapy targets injured ligaments. PRP injections accelerate tissue repair. Treat the problem and your pain will be reduced. Contact my office if you want to explore if these regenerative therapies are right for you.
Even with all of these precautions, accidents happen. That’s what ski patrol is for. If you do get injured this year - seek help. The earlier that you get help, the better outcome you will have.
With this preseason list in mind, all there is left to do now is pray for snow.