Winter Sports Injuries: Top Injuries to Avoid at Ski Resorts
Many people will truck out into the thousands of North American ski resorts this year, and many will be injured. According to the National Ski Areas Association, skiing has an excellent safety record, but there are still a number of fatalities and injuries every year that remains concerning. The last study done in 2012 showed that the fatality rate was 54 people per million visits, while injuries occur at a fairly constant rate of 44.7 per year.
So, you’re more likely to be injured than killed. So before you go out on the skiing this year, take some precautions. Here’s how.
Work Out And Get Strong
Get into the gym pre-season and get strong. It doesn’t take much. Basic lifts like the squat, deadlift, and bench press will get your body into shape, fast. Strength, not endurance, is the primary factor that will affect your balance and stability out on the slopes.
If you’re not strong enough to resist falling or control yourself, it’s game over. And, it’s weight training, specifically free-weight training, that builds strong muscles and thickens bones.
Of course, endurance training is important if you plan on doing cross country or a lot of downhill skiing. Just don’t let it crowd out your strength training.
Protect Your Head
Wear protective gear. As often seen and dealt with by the Lake Cook Law Group, head injuries can be serious, and they aren’t always obvious. If you fall and hit your head, you might initially feel fine – especially out in the cold. But, you might have a concussion.
Whether it’s the ski resorts fault or not largely depends on the circumstances and the specific facts surrounding how you got injured. But, you can be proactive by wearing the right kind of headgear.
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons puts wintersports in the top 20 activities that contribute to head injuries which require emergency care. And, according to John Hopkins University, severe head trauma accounts for 20 percent of ski and snowboarding accidents. Of those, 22 percent are severe enough to cause loss of consciousness or, worse, a concussion.
Stay safe. Wear a helmet.
Pay Attention In The Parks
Many ski resorts have parks where you can snowboard or ski in a relatively controlled environment. These parks usually have snow “pipes,” rails, and other obstacles that you can ski or snowboard around.
But, many of the injuries that happen on ski resorts happen in the park. Always obey the safety rules and wear protective gear, including back braces and protectors, and padded shorts.
Brace Yourself After Injury
If you’ve ever suffered a knee injury, you know how debilitating it can be. Knee injuries tend to take a long time to heal, if they ever fully do at all. One of the most important things to do is to brace the injury as soon as it happens. The Donjoy Armor with Fourcepoint Knee Brace is one device that helps you brace an injury immediately.
It’s made of light aircraft-grade aluminum, and is spring-loaded to keep the hamstring in constant tension. Since the hamstring is attached to the tibia, the tension pulls it back, keeping it stable and reducing the chance of further injury.
Hire A Guide For Off-Piste Skiing
When you want to venture off into the wilderness on a ski resort, it’s a good idea to take a guide. Even if you’re an experienced skier, a guide can help you stay safe – safer than if you were to go it alone.
Always Carry Avalanche Safety and Survival Gear
Always carry safety gear that will protect you in the event of an avalanche. This gear should include a transceiver, a probe, and a shovel. If you go off-piste without at least these three things, you’re basically crazy and asking for trouble.
If you ski in the deep, buy an ABS backpack like Haglöfs Vojd. These backpacks will inflate using a gas canister (which is filled with argon, which is denser than air) to help keep you floating on the surface of the snow instead of getting buried by it.
Another product, the Black Diamond’s Halo 28 Jetforce, uses a fan that inflates the backpack in less than 4 seconds.
Wear Traction When Walking On Ice
This is something everyone should do – get yourself a set of boot crampons. Ice Gripper and Show Chain are the most popular right now, but anything that clips onto your boots and gives you more traction will do. The goal is to increase friction on the ice and reduce slipping.
Guest Author :
Attorney Olga Groat obtained her Juris Doctor from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Prior to law school, Olga worked as a paralegal in various firms where she gained vast experience including participating in court status calls, preparing clients for depositions/arbitrations/trials, preparing all necessary documents for personal injury cases, and conducting real estate closings. As an employee of Citi Group, Markets and Banking Divisions, she gained invaluable insight and experience in strategic management as well as the preparation and examination of legal documents.
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