Ski Safe and Strong All Season Long: Injury Prevention Tips and Exercises from the Ski Shop
Any skier or boarder will tell you there’s nothing worse than having your season cut short by an injury. A little TLC, however, will do wonders for injury prevention throughout the season.
For advice on staying injury-free this season, we sat down with Jayson Bates, a registered massage therapist at Kinetic Evolution, whose practice focuses on keeping people healthy so they can enjoy active lifestyles.
Loving the outdoors is also in Jay’s DNA: Fresh Air Kelowna was founded by his parents, Jim and Karen Bates, in 1981.
Most common injuries
Soft tissue injuries in the knee are the most common ski injuries Jay sees in his practice—the ACL, MCL, and meniscus.
“That’s why you want to build strength around the knee,” says Jay. “So that your ligaments aren’t taking the stress.”
Other injuries can include head or neck injuries like whiplash, particularly if you ride a snowboard. Strengthening your neck is one way to help offset the injury risk.
Dealing with fear
The fear factor is real for those who haven’t been skiing our whole lives. Jay’s advice? Embrace that you’re going to fall and be ready for it.
“We all fall — even the good ones fall,” says Jay. “It's going to happen but preparing yourself physically is a big thing.”
Prep looks like staying on top of your off-season exercises and staying healthy to help avoid injury.
“If you do that, you'll do a better job preventing big injuries during the fall,” he says. “It's about mitigating damage by doing the right things beforehand.”
Exercises for injury prevention
When Jay works with clients on injury prevention, they plan based on their strengths and weaknesses.
“It’s key to build strength and mobility in the hips and side-to-side movements,” he explains.
The following exercises should be done in season and off-season, two to three times weekly.
Split squat
3 sets, 8-10 reps per leg
How to do it: Anchor an exercise band to something sturdy to try and pull the knee inward, if possible. If you don’t have a band, you can put something uneven, like a pillow, under your front foot to force stability. The goal is to keep your knee in line with the second toe and not let it collapse.
Put your opposite foot behind so the ball of your foot is on the ground.
Proceed to squat down with most of your weight on the front leg. If you need to use poles to balance, that’s okay!
Try to get the knee to a 90-degree angle before coming back up.
Neck strengthening
3 sets of 10 seconds
How to do it: Push against your hand(s) using approximately 50-80% of force through the neck, moving in all directions (forward, backward, and both sides).
Towel crunches
2-3 times per side
How to do it: Put a towel on a slippery(ish) floor surface. Try to curl the towel under your foot using your toes.
Cossack slides
3 sets, 8-10 reps per leg
How to do it: Using a weight that can slide on the floor (either a plate weight like shown or a dumbbell/kettlebell on a towel), lunge out to the side and, with the extended leg, drag the weight to the planted foot.
Clamshells
3 sets, 8-10 reps per leg
How to do it: Perform the clamshell exercise with or without a band. With a band, the difficulty (resistance) increases.
Lay on your side with a neutral spine.
Pull your top knee away from your bottom knee without rotating your hips.
Return to starting position
Heel elevated squats
3 sets, 8-10 reps
How to do it: Place a book, weights, wedge, or piece of wood under your heels to elevate them. Squat down as low as is comfortable for your knees and lower back. Return to standing.
Add weight as shown or on the back, if desired.
Quit dreaming, start doing. Our sports stores in Kelowna have everything you need to find your new sport. See what’s in store, then get out and enjoy the Fresh Air!
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