53’s Journey

[Started at 53]

Bummer! I recommend a couple of these for when you get back on your boards. I had a partial tear on my left MCL a few weeks ago and have used this brace for two days now. It does take a bit of getting used to but it's not uncomfortable and it stays where you put it. I fits under my ski pants no problem. It provides good lateral support and I'm planning on using it for the rest of the season. Here's hoping for a quick recovery!

EDIT: They're a bit cheaper on Amazon.

Thanks

The ones I have on are likely skiable

Certainly gonna give it a try

 

[Lorenzzo]

The doctor did advise snowboarding only for the next few weeks.

 

[Philpug]

The doctor did advise snowboarding only for the next few weeks.

Wow, that serious...

 

[Andy Mink]

Thanks

The ones I have on are likely skiable

Certainly gonna give it a try

That's good. The first one I used was too long and I wouldn't have been able to get my boot on. I think that's why my PT wanted that type!

 

[Andy Mink]

The doctor did advise snowboarding only for the next few weeks.

I think I'd find a different doctor. Second opinion and all.

 

[Lorenzzo]

Wow, that serious...

Some might go so far as to call it life threatening.

 

[Started at 53]

The doctor did advise snowboarding only for the next few weeks.

Clearly that Dr. didn’t understand my disdain for boarding

I think I'd find a different doctor. Second opinion and all.

Absolutely

 

[Started at 53]

That's good. The first one I used was too long and I wouldn't have been able to get my boot on. I think that's why my PT wanted that type!

My boot will go on with these on for sure

 

[Philpug]

 

[dbostedo]

Clearly that Dr. didn’t understand my disdain for boarding

Or maybe he did!!

 

[Lorenzzo]

It’s fortunate I was there because as you can see, the Dr. was about to perform the wrong procedure.

 

[skier]

Sorry to hear about the injury. There may be something important that you're not being taught, and that's how to fall. I ski moguls on steep terrain pretty fast, up to 20 mph, and when I work on trying to improve, I'll push my limits and fall pretty regularly. I could ski the moguls all day long pretty fast and not fall, or I can try new stuff and fall lots. The trick is how to fall. I cross my tips often, sometimes I can uncross them and recover, sometimes it's just better to fall. The worst thing you can do is try to regain control once you're out of control, because you can just get tangled up worse. I noticed in your video of a crash that you didn't fall very well. I almost said something then, but held back. When my son first started skiing, I was pleased to see he had the natural talent of falling in a safe way. Most of it may be instinct, but there are a couple of concepts. First of all, just because you're falling, that doesn't mean you're no longer in control of yourself. You must stay aware of your body and motions and focus on doing the right things. You want to curl a little and stay firm with your neck and back. Stay small, not tall. I see some people straight and flaccid such that their head whips onto the ground which is not good. Once you feel you're out of control on the skis, just go down onto whichever hip is closest kind of sinking into it. I've been told to keep my pole straps on, but I leave them off to make sure I can keep the poles out of my way when I fall. Don't reach an arm out to try to do anything, you can wrench a shoulder, break a wrist, twist an elbow. I fall on my shoulders and hips. I keep my knees and feet together as a strong unit and kind of pick up my feet a little at first just to make sure nothing gets tangled up, but then after the fall you sometimes have to focus on self arrest. That's a whole other category I won't get into, but for the slopes you ski on it's only an issue if it's a sheet of ice, and you probably won't be skiing those conditions. For the entire fall, I pay attention to where my ski tips are going, so they won't jam into a bump in a bad way. It's worth practicing falls in a controlled manner when you have a nice soft surface. I guarantee if you knew how to fall you wouldn't have gotten hurt just because your tips crossed. I've been skiing 45 years, and I've never once been hurt (knock on wood), only an occasional bruise on the hip when the surface is rock hard ice.

 

[Josh Matta]

Solid Advice @skier its clear you are experienced and know what your talking about.

 

[Started at 53]

Lol

It was not a slow motion fall, it happened pretty quick, but thanks for the advice

 

[Dwight]

Speedy recovery and now I think you can official post in the bitch weather thread.

 

[Bolder]

I'm not the greatest skier, but I am excellent at falling. Never been injured beyond a mild wrist sprain or three. I learned about falling from racing mountain bikes. That said, there are lots of falls that you just can't anticipate. I was riding my road bike about a decade ago in sun/shadows and hit some kind of road divot or bump, have no idea. Next thing I knew I was lying on the ground with about 10 people clustered around me and my shorts in tatters, blood everywhere. Nothing broken but shredded skin, bruises and lots of bike damage.

Regarding HOW to fall on skis, if you can somehow keep your arms inside rather than splayed out, that will save shoulders and joints. I try to wind up on my back in a stinkbug position to keep skis from catching, as mentioned before.

Hope this is just a temporary setback.

 

[Tricia]

I was on some steep terrain and believe it or not was being overly cautious and crossed my tips

It was 150 yards of tumbling and sliding from that point

Were you doing a drill?
That's how @Andy Mink torqued his knee. He was doing a drill on a moderate slope.

 

[Started at 53]

Were you doing a drill?
That's how @Andy Mink torqued his knee. He was doing a drill on a moderate slope.

Nope, just having fun on a run called Little Kate

 

[James]

150 yards of tumbling??
That's a long way. Is this a Jackson Hole style blue?

 

[Chef23]

If you hurt both knees in a fast fall I would look into the settings of your bindings. While they may be set appropriately based on the charts it might make sense to turn them down a little bit. If you fell quickly you should have snapped out without injury. Slow falls can sometimes not create enough torque so you get hurt. Quicker falls should get you out of both skis. I like to be able to twist out of my bindings when standing still. I think this ensures you have the strength in your legs to protect your knees in a fall. I have recently turned my settings down as I lost some strength due to a lengthy illness. I am regaining my strengths but don't have the strength I used to. If you are racing, skiing heavy bumps this might not apply but for mortals I think it makes some sense.

Heal fast. There is lots of season left.