Latest posts for the topic "Skiing after an injury"

Skiing after an injury

Mon, 3 Sep 2012 17:31:55 GMT

Hi

I was a very good skier and i loved it untill 2 seasons ago i broke my leg i lost it comletly, i havent got the conf.. i dont enjoy it any more, shall i give it up or will it come back

thanks

Re:Skiing after an injury

Mon, 3 Sep 2012 18:14:38 GMT

Oh dear broom,
What a shame .....
I have no great words of wisdom either way with your conundrum except I do know people in similar situations.
About 50/50 in my experience.
Half get back into it and half give up.

Two stories .....
My dear Sister, late 50's back problem a few years ago resulting in surgery. back to skiing very merrily in 2010 but then hip went. Hip replacement last autumn. Seeing consultant soon for discussion about starting skiing again. Mind you she is mad :D

Old friend, ligament damage from skiing accident. Tried skiing, problems, gave up for several years. Children and hubbie wanted to go, she tagged along, got bored not skiing, tried again and loved it, especially with her children.

Oh and another mate has completely given up any thought of skiing on medical advice. He was crashed into resulting in broken ribs and collar bone. Collar bone is the prob, it hasn't healed and a bump would lead to serious issues (life threatening potentially).

I suppose the question is ....
Is your lack of enjoyment down to fear of injury or is the experience just not doing it for you? I wonder if the answer to this question could help you decide?

Either way ....
All the best!
:thumbup:

Re:Skiing after an injury

Mon, 3 Sep 2012 18:32:24 GMT

thanks for that maybe will gibe it a try yhis season and take it from there

Re:Skiing after an injury

Mon, 3 Sep 2012 19:54:24 GMT

Broom, get in touch with Charlotte Swift in L2A. Her website is:
http://www.easiski.com/

She has a good reputation for building confidence, and only takes small groups or 1:1. She's been a ski teacher all her working life.

She's not paying me to write this either :D

Re:Skiing after an injury

Mon, 3 Sep 2012 19:56:18 GMT

Hi broom,
Sorry to hear of your injury, could I suggest you try a session in an indoor ski centre. Even if you have to travel some distance it will be cheaper than booking holiday and finding on the first day you not capable of skiing.
Good luck!

Re:Skiing after an injury

Mon, 3 Sep 2012 20:44:34 GMT

It really depends if you really want to ski again if you don't do nothing if you do get your self down to a snowdome or dry slope and get the skis back on.

Re:Skiing after an injury

Mon, 3 Sep 2012 23:24:39 GMT

This is a most unfortunate situation, Broom. No one can advise yes or no ~ we do not know the current condition of the healing, nor how badly your confidence is affected.

Thinking about how the break occurred, was it an unusual circumstance, bad binding settings ~ are you likely/unlikely to repeat in the same way?

Prior to the accident, were you of average strength, flexibilty and fitness?

Given that you will have experienced a recovery, and gone through physiotherapy, how does the leg strength feel now, compared with before? It ought to possible to achieve parity.

At the same point on each thigh, is the circumference on each leg the same. Is the injured one smaller in circumference?

Are you able to carry on playing other sports? Does this give you confidence?

Can you do yet more strength work on the damaged leg? Then measure the new improvement.

I'm not sure you can do this in the UK, but in Austria, you could just go to your GP and ask for an X-ray ~ and get an update as to the status of the repair.

After my first hour on skis, Raigmore hospital was fitting an ankle to crutch plaster cast on me. So, I know it is possible get over these things ~ for many people, but not everyone. About a third of my fellow instructors were recovered breaks ~ (perhaps not the best advertisement for their services!)

I have played many sports, to differing levels, but for me, skiing is the most artistic and poetic sport there is, allowing a combination of both challenge and love of mountains.

Re the confidence, why not follow Bandit's link?

Re:Skiing after an injury

Tue, 4 Sep 2012 09:11:06 GMT

This is tough call and it's yours... Are there any objective reasons not to ski? You should first check with a physician, and then it will depend on whether you want it or not. Maybe you will be able to slowly work your confidence back if you join some specific program.

Skiing after an injury

Tue, 4 Sep 2012 10:50:00 GMT

broom wrote:I was a very good skier and i loved it

Hold that thought... do you want that feeling again? It sounds like you do. 8)

Book an appointment with a physio (sports rehab is a common specialisation nowadays) and make sure your leg is good to go (skiing).

For motivation... watch the Paralympics for a bit, and read some of their stories. Seriously. Olympians are awesome, and Paralympians even more so.

Only you can make the commitment, but the advice above is all good.

Do it... and keep us all informed; everyone loves a comeback! :thumbup:

Re:Skiing after an injury

Tue, 4 Sep 2012 15:20:04 GMT

Totally agree with John and Ian, get yourself checked out by a doc/physio and if there's no medical concern get yourself to a dome pronto, might be an idea to hit the slope at its quietest so you only have to worry about your own movements rather than being hyper vigilant to whats happening around you, fewer injuries occur when your relaxed so avoid the school parties and peak times.

Re:Skiing after an injury

Thu, 6 Sep 2012 11:08:13 GMT

I guess you've had the all clear to get back to full exercise?
If so go and try on an indoor slope and see how you feel about it. If you pass that hurdle book your holiday & build up your exercise regime to make sure you are as strong and fit as you can be to reduce the chances of other injuries.

Ultimately you won't really know until you've done a few runs on the steep or at speed to get over the natural anxiety.

Re:Skiing after an injury

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:08:38 GMT

Hi and thanks for the all the advice

I went last week to Les Menuires and took a very good teacher and we skied for 4 days got all the technic and the confidence back, the weather was perfect, and cant wait for the next trip, hopefully in feb

Re:Skiing after an injury

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:42:43 GMT

A happy ending; good news. Hope my ending turns out the same, as I took a fall just before Christmas in Austria. Thinking all I had done was twisted my left knee, and after getting that sorted out very well and very quickly in the local hospital, I came home and thought a few weeks would soon see me back on skis. However, once back home, I developed some pretty nasty headaches, which are not something I suffer from usually, and quickly it was discovered that there was bleeding under the skull which required operating on. The rest of this season is definitely a wash-out; as for next season, we'll have to wait and see, but all the comments above are relevant and helpful. Oh, and yes, I was wearing a helmet, albeit a cheap and cheerful end-of-season offer from a well-known high street sports chain.

Re:Skiing after an injury

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:01:51 GMT

broom wrote:Hi and thanks for the all the advice

I went last week to Les Menuires and took a very good teacher and we skied for 4 days got all the technic and the confidence back, the weather was perfect, and cant wait for the next trip, hopefully in feb

Nice one. :thumbup: Not seen this thread before. I do like a happy ending. Don't think tiddlywinks or draughts would have done it for you quite like skiing -) .

Re:Skiing after an injury

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:27:12 GMT

A little word or two of encouragement from me - might help - might not!! 3 years ago I had an ankle operation, and whilst off 2 weeks of intensive physio at one of our Fire Service Rehab places who got me back running, jumping etc - great - except on the way home changing trains fell down the stairs at the station and damaged my knee! After MRI scans and X-rays, I was advised by my consultant that I could still ski whilst I could. Further appointments with an osteo resulted in her giving me two choices - one keep skiing how I had done on reds and if I fell or hurt myself again, it was time to pack up!! OR - ski the easy stuff all the time wearing a knee support - if I skied the same blue run all day, I was still skiing - I was there on the slopes and the chairs/lifts. Take regular breaks, admire the view - and smell the gluhwein!!! Armed with this info I had the most wonderful week last year in Alpbach - I skied every day, no pressure to try harder runs or push myself - and at the end of each day I was the one intact and hubby was the one who had had a near miss/wobble/pants poop! Needless to say I am going skiing again this year and hope to do so for as many years as my body will allow. Listening to the Paralympians (I was a Gamesmaker myself!) it is all in the mind and how much you want to do it. However if you ski the easy stuff, you are never far from the finish/cafe/ski school, etc if you come unstuck. I hope this helps keep a few more of you skiing rather than packing up and saying that's it!

Re:Skiing after an injury

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:17:33 GMT

broom wrote:Hi and thanks for the all the advice

I went last week to Les Menuires and took a very good teacher and we skied for 4 days got all the technic and the confidence back, the weather was perfect, and cant wait for the next trip, hopefully in feb

Very good, Broom. Top person. It isn't easy to come back from plaster to piste. Keep up the strength work.... and plan your next venture!

Well done!

Re:Skiing after an injury

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:33:23 GMT

billip1 wrote:A happy ending; good news. Hope my ending turns out the same, as I took a fall just before Christmas in Austria. Thinking all I had done was twisted my left knee, and after getting that sorted out very well and very quickly in the local hospital, I came home and thought a few weeks would soon see me back on skis. However, once back home, I developed some pretty nasty headaches, which are not something I suffer from usually, and quickly it was discovered that there was bleeding under the skull which required operating on. The rest of this season is definitely a wash-out; as for next season, we'll have to wait and see, but all the comments above are relevant and helpful. Oh, and yes, I was wearing a helmet, albeit a cheap and cheerful end-of-season offer from a well-known high street sports chain.

Billip, how scary, I am sure I speak for all of us, that we wish you speedy recovery. A head injury is one of the worst fears. My OH and my youngest son both suffered concussion falls.

Both continue to ski, albeit my OH must always be careful. They both now wear helmets.

I doubt if it matters where you bought your helmet, as long as it was internally labelled as EN 1077 compliant. Class B is normal, Class A may be regarded as geared to performance skiers, racer, etc. However, if you do form the opinion that the helmet was in any way defective, then take it up with both the store and the manufacturer. It is an important issue.

Take it easy.

Re:Skiing after an injury

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 08:40:40 GMT

Thanks for the encouragement and wise words, Dave. Meanwhile, webcam surfing is now happily occupying me, at least for the present :)