8 Evidence-Based Tips to Reduce Your Risk of Injury This Ski Season
Ski season is upon us! Although we all love to ski, it does come with some risks attached. Skiing requires a combination of balance, coordination, and strength. While it can be a lot of fun, skiing also carries a risk of injury, particularly to our head, knees and lower back. In this blog post, we will explore the role of injury prevention training in reducing the risk of skiing injuries and provide some practical evidence-based tips for incorporating it into your training routine. For Advice that is specialized and tailored to you or your team, please reach out to our physiotherapy team!
We see a variety of injuries occur with skiing. Studies have shown that the most common skiing-related injuries are to our knees. Ligamentous injuries to ACL, MCL, and/or LCL account for up to 33% of all skiing injuries. Other common injuries that occur during skiing are concussions, whiplash injuries to the neck, rotator cuff injuries, shoulder dislocations and separations, thumb sprains and fractures of the arm and collarbone. The good news is that overall, our equipment is getting safer. From 1970-2006 studies found a 55% decrease in skiing-related injuries.
On top of that, there are evidence-based ways to decrease your risk of injury while skiing.
Wear the right equipment
Wear your helmet! Studies have shown that helmets reduce the amount and severity of head injuries. It doesn’t matter how cool you looked going down the hill when you have a concussion.
2. Make sure your dins are set correctly
If your bindings are releasing too early, you increase your risk of falling, thereby increasing your risk of injury. More importantly, if your bindings are too tight, your bindings will not release when they should, leading to an increased risk of ACL injury and fracture of the tibia, a bone in your lower leg. In a study that looked at individuals who had their bindings professionally checked versus those who didn’t, the group that had theirs checked had significantly fewer injuries. Go get your bindings checked at the beginning of each season!
3. Strength training to prevent ski injuries
Strength training can help to reduce the risk of skiing injuries by improving muscle strength and endurance, as well as improving balance and coordination. Stronger muscles are better able to control the instability that comes with skiing. Our hip and knee strength is a major contributor to how well we can control the knee when something goes wrong. The most common way people injure their ACLs is by catching the inside edge of their outside ski. The ski then dives inward and the ACL has a high likelihood of being injured in this position. The more strength someone has in their hips and legs muscles, the better they are able to prevent this inward motion of the knee and prevent an ACL injury.
In general, the stronger you are, the better you are to be able to deal with the uncertainty that occurs when you ski, such as catching an edge, absorbing jumping, or controlling your turn on uneven terrain. If your muscles are strong enough and are able to react quickly enough to control this unexpected motion, it is less likely to put undo stress on your joints and ligaments which are the last line of defence.
Strength training through the hips, knees, and back musculature is particularly important for skiers.
4. Balance Training
We have sensory receptors in our bodies that tell us where we are in space. These are called proprioceptors. Proprioceptors tell your body where you are in space even if your eyes are closed. With balance training, we improve how well our proprioceptors work. This means that our body becomes more in tune with fine changes in positioning, and has an easier time recognizing and adjusting if your position is not where it should be. When it can recognize your position easier and faster, it can adjust faster, and with better control, bringing you out of a position where an injury is more likely to occur.
5. Plyometric Training
Plyometric training refers to practicing quick movements such as jumping. Once again, this works on strength and control, as well as working on how fast your body can react to changes. When we train jumping movements our body becomes better at moving quickly. It can respond faster because it can recruit our muscles stronger and faster to a specific area. This means that if anything is not going well, your body is able to make quick adjustments and bring you out of a vulnerable position.
6. Single-Leg Exercises
Single-leg exercises are a MUST for skiers. When we ski our weight is not evenly distributed between our legs. Each leg must individually be able to control its motion when skiing. This includes strength exercises, plyometric (jumping) exercises and balance exercises.
7. Perform on-Hill Ski Drills as a Warm-Up
A 2020 Swedish study demonstrated that individuals who watched the video below and performed these on-hill ski drills as well as strength, balance, and plyometric training reduced their rate of ACL injury by 22% compared to the group that did not perform the ACL prevention program
The key focus of these drills is to ensure you have equal control through both of your knees while skiing. It is much more common for people to injure their left knee skiing as it is their non-dominant leg and therefore have less strength and control on that side. Watch this video for specific ski drills:
8. Examples of exercises:
There are many different strength training exercises that can help to improve muscle strength and endurance for skiing. Some examples include:
Squats: Squats are a great exercise for strengthening the quadriceps, and glut max. Try doing 3 sets of 8-12 reps with a moderate to heavy weight.
Single Leg Squats: Single leg squats continue to work on the above muscle groups but also increase activation of the glut med (the muscles on the outside of your hip).
Deadlifts: Deadlifts are a compound exercise that targets the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles. Try doing 3 sets of 8-12 reps. Start with a light weight and gradually increase the weight as you get stronger.
Single-leg jumping: jump forward on one leg, controlling the landing. Once under control perform another jump. Repeat 10 jumps, 3x.
Lunges: Lunges are another excellent exercise for strengthening the legs, particularly the quadriceps and glutes. Try doing sets of 8-12 reps on each leg.
It's important to incorporate these exercises into your skiing training routine on a regular basis, ideally at least twice a week. Start 3 sets of 8-12reps with a light to moderate weight, then gradually increase the weight as you get stronger.
Overall, we know that there is a significant risk of injury when we ski. That doesn’t mean it’s going to stop us from shredding down our local hill! While we will never be able to eliminate the risk, we can significantly reduce the risk through equipment choices, education and injury prevention training. A ski-specific injury prevention plan should include elements of strength training, balance training, and plyometrics training, as well as on-hill ski drills. By incorporating strength training exercises into your routine on a regular basis, you can become a stronger, more confident skier and enjoy the sport without being taken out for the season!
To make an injury prevention plan that is tailored to you or your team, reach out to emily at emilyf@ridgelinephysio.com or 778-561-2272.
Injury prevention is covered as a typical physiotherapy service and can be booked individually as an initial physiotherapy assessment. Please check out our Injury Prevention page if you have more questions!
Emily also runs injury prevention workshops for groups/teams, as well as injury prevention group training. Please reach out to Emily to find out more, or to book your group.
