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Knee injuries when skiing are more common than you think. Whether it is the ligaments, menisci or bony structures that hurts in your particular situation depends on the specific injury you may have incurred. However, the fact remains that 25% of all alpine ski injuries are knee injuries. It is true, not everyone has knee problems, but when you do you may need some helpful information included here. Knee pain prevention tips are provided, as well as the benefits of using knee braces to promote stability.
When you ski, or snowboard, their are twisting forces that occur at your knees. As you know your feet are usually locked (more or less) into the ski or snowboard, but you still need to adapt to the snowy terrain as you go over bumps in the mountain side. This sets up a situation were you might hurt your knee due to a twisting or otherwise awkward movement. Let's hope this doesn't happen, but we suggest you read on to get some useful prevention tips.
Even if you are a great skier, chances are that you can fall at some point during a ski trip. Or, for those of us that "do not fall" you can tell some who "does" the following information :
1.) Don't fully straighten your legs when you fall. Keep your knees flexed. This helps avoid hyperextension of your legs, which can contribute to a knee injury.
2.) Don't try to get up until you have stopped sliding. Many knee injuries happen as a result of trying to get up to quickly when your balance is not good, and this is when your real injury might happen.
3.) Don't land on your hands (if you can help it) Keep your arms up and forward. This is more of a general point of safety.
4.) Do not jump unless you know where and how to land. Sounds simple enough, right? It is best to land on both skis and keep your knees flexed.
If you have a pre-existing knee injury or knee pain the use of a well designed knee brace can help reduce your pain, and can also help prevent future knee injuries from occuring. The US ski team makes use of knee braces to achieve these results, because they know the value of stable healthy knee while skiing.
(reference: Ettlinger CF, Johnson RJ and Shealy JE, American Journal of Sports Medicine 1995; 23(5): 531-537)
If you would like to learn more about ways to decrease your knee pain, and to get the support your knees need, visit us online now at http://www.drbraceco.com We can provide you with more education material about your knee and knee braces, to help you make the best decision for yourself.
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