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Heading
to the Slopes?
You May Want to Read This
Primer on Avoiding Injury
First
By
Jeffree Itrich I January 24, 2005
Dr.
Robert Pedowitz is gearing
up for the annual stream
of winter sports injuries
from skiers, snowboarders
and other sports enthusiasts.
The chief of UCSD's Sports
Medicine Service says
the barrage of injured
patients happens every
year but adds that doesn't
have to be the case. Pedowitz
has several suggestions
for winter sports enthusiasts
to prevent common injuries
and avoid a visit to the
orthopedist.
"Probably
the most important thing
people can do to prevent
all types of injuries,"
he says "is to condition
before they participate
in activities
and do it regularly. That
means staying in shape
with flexibility and strength
and cardiovascular fitness."
The
most common injuries the
department regularly sees
in the winter are injuries
from skiing, snowboarding
and basketball, a year-round
sport in Southern California.
"Some
problems can be avoided
by the right conditioning
program, with particular
focus on strength and
flexibility training,"
says Pedowitz. "With skiing
and basketball, there
is another nuance to consider,
and that's technique.
Some skiers need time
with a good professional
who can teach them proper
skills to decrease the
risk of an out-of-control
injury."
With
basketball, Pedowitz says
proper jumping and pivoting
technique can also decrease
the risk of ankle sprains
and severe knee injuries,
such as anterior cruciate
ligament tears.
"Of
course," he adds, "skiers
must also choose the right
hill appropriate to their
skill level, and ball
players should select
the right league to play
in because injuries tend
to happen when things
get out of control."
Pedowitz
advises undergoing a good
quadriceps conditioning
program in the weeks or
months leading up to a
ski trip. "It will also
make the vacation more
fun, because properly
conditioned quadriceps
will decrease the muscle
soreness that is so common
on the second or third
day of the activity,"
he says.
Selection
and proper fit of sports
equipment for a sport
as technical as skiing
he says is essential to
preventing injury. Pedowitz
can't stress enough how
important it is to get
advice from a knowledgeable
professional, particularly
when choosing expensive
and complicated equipment.
"Skis,
boots, and binding designs
have definitely decreased
some of the most severe
injuries, such as tibia
fractures. However, some
of these advances are
lost when the wrong equipment
is selected or when it
is fit improperly," he
says.
Although
it would seem snowboarding
injuries would be similar
to skiing, Pedowitz says
the sport presents very
different types of injuries
than those seen from skiing
accidents.
"Both
feet are connected to
the snowboard, so there's
much less twisting of
the knees and legs since
they don't move independently,"
says Pedowitz. "We see
fewer severe knee and
leg injuries with snowboarding,
however wrist fractures
and head injuries are
more common. Snowboarders
commonly fall hard, straight
backward. People throw
out their arms to stop
the fall and fracture
the wrist or they are
too late and hit their
heads on the snow receiving
a concussion."
The
physician can't stress
enough the importance
of protective equipment
while snowboarding. Helmets
and wrist guards can help
prevent and minimize severe
injury.
Finally,
Pedowitz advises people
to be smart and be careful
with their activity selection.
Choosing a sport within
your abilities and skill
level is key to staying
injury-free, he says.
"For
example, snowboarding
has become very popular,
even with people in their
30s and 40s, but less
so later on because older
people become discouraged
by the learning curve
snowboarding requires.
It's important not to
go beyond their capability,
because if they do chances
are they're going to get
hurt," he cautions.
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