Ski injuries

The unmatched elation of skiing comes with an unfortunate price for some skiers. Ski injuries are to be expected when you consider not only the slope of the mountain and varied terrain but also all of the stresses that your body absorbs from the bumps and turns going downhill. Ski injuries also tend to follow those of us who are most in love with speed and with aerial performance.

Of all the ski injuries, the most common is an injury to the knee. This joint is subjected to all of the bumps from moguls and the chattering of skis as you carom down the hill. Moreover the initiation for lift and turns originates at the knee since our hips are isolated, facing downhill.

The knee sprain accounts for one in every three injuries to skiers and is the one injury that is not preventable using different equipment. Since the knee is such a complex joint, no sleeve or support can prevent injury to the many twists it performs to keep us skiing.

Some ski injuries are completely preventable thanks to upgrades in equipment. The main example of this is the skull fracture which was made infamous for the untimely death of celebrity Sonny Bono, when he collided with a tree and passed away in the 1990s. From that accident a new industry and movement emerged around ski helmets. Now almost ubiquitous on the slopes, they are a bit expensive but they do the job. Somehow, even with this creation, no enough skiers are wearing helmets because skull and face injuries are still the second most common type of ski injury. Ski helmets have come a long way in styling from their early days as bike helmet copies into a fashion for any taste. There is simply no excuse to go out without a helmet and most ski resorts require those 12 and under to wear them on all slopes.

The final main group of ski injuries occurs to the wrists and hands of skiers. Mostly during a fall, a skier may put their hands out in front of them by habit--this is a major mistake and can lead to wrist and finger trauma when you collide with the hard snow. Practice falling on the rump is key and more skiers are also wearing wrist guards as an extra precaution. These guards keep your wrist stiff and protected from many of these ski injuries.