If you want to spend the winter season skiing, practicing some tips and tricks for safe snow sports is a good idea. Good preparation, afterall, tends to pay dividends. If you are interested in skiing or snowboarding then it is absolutely vital that you learn some basic tips for safety before you ever hit the slopes or the hills. Just like with any other physical activity, skiing can make you susceptible to injury. The good news, however, is that by taking the right precautions and wearing the right protective gear, you can significantly reduce the risk of injury, making sure instead that you enjoy a pleasurable day on the slopes.
Techniques for Injury Prevention
Many skiing and snowboarding injuries commonly occur in the body's upper extremities or in the feet and ankles. Sprains are one of the most common types of injuries, followed closely by contusions and fractures. Because skiers and snowboarders tend to fall forwards or backwards, upper body injuries are also largely common. Rather than throwing your arms outward to catch yourself as many skiers and snowboarders are unfortunately prone to do, you should try to keep your arms tucked in, trying to roll into the fall instead. If you throw your arms outward when you fall, you can fracture your wrists, elbows or shoulders quite easily. By tucking and rolling, you will distribute the impact of the fall over a larger portion of the body. The fall will likely still hurt, but the impact will not be hard enough on any one part of your body to cause a serious injury.
Lower Body Injuries
When lower body injuries do occur, it is primarily because the skier's or snowboarder's feet are strapped into skis or a snowboard, localizing knee movement. If you do a lot of aerial style movements, then the chance of incurring abdominal, spine, chest or head injuries is greatly increased. You should be aware of the fact that ankle injuries are also quite common. It is also possible that if you lose control of your board or skis at a high speed that you may incur a head or spinal injury.
See a Doctor Immediately
If you do obtain any injuries while skiing or snowboard it may be difficult for you to figure out what extent of injuries exist. Any time there is swelling or puffiness where the injury is, this may indicate that the injury is serious and needs to be addressed by a trained physician. Always make sure that you visit a physician as soon as possible to rule out breaks, fractures, serious sprains or other serious injuries. Obtaining a correct diagnosis is vital if you want the injury to properly heal rather than being exacerbated on the slopes.
Protect Yourself
You can protect yourself by insuring that your body is in good condition and covered in the proper gear. Follow a fitness routine prior to hitting the slopes to make sure that you are strong and in good shape, and make sure to buy high quality protective gear any time you intend to go skiing or snowboarding if you want to cushion some of the impact during a fall. Snowboarding and skiing may be risky sports, but you can protect yourself with a little bit of know how.
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Originally posted 2008-12-23 05:13:31. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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1 comment so far ↓
One more tip.
Many injuries happen when someone runs into you. It may be their fault, but it is important for you to take responsibility to be safe.
A good habit is to regularly look over your shoulder. Know when someone is coming up behind you. This is especially important when you are riding with tunes.
If you are going to stop on the slope, move well off to the side of the run, look uphill for fast moving skiers and make sure they are not headed to your stopping point.
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