Each one of us is always looking for fun activities to do during the winter. Arguably, skiing is the most enjoyable activities that allow you to relax, recharge your batteries and invigorate your well-being. Skiing enables you to have a healthy body and mind, engage the core muscles of your body, help you to boost your balance and increase your body strength. Simply put, skiing is the perfect way to work out during the winter.
Unfortunately, skiing is a potentially dangerous activity and which has continued to claim the lives/well-being of a number of skiing enthusiasts in the last few decades. It is on this basis that a group of professionals from Switzerland’s mountainous region of Bernese Oberland decided to conduct a study as to why some people get hurt skiing while others don’t.
During the research, these scholars presented questionnaires to a group of seven hundred and eighty-two skiers who had sought medical attention at local trauma and health care facilities and a controlled group of four hundred and ninety six individuals who had not. The researchers were keen to find out the primary cause of accidents that the treated group experienced.
After the completion of the study, the results were as follows. A significant number (57%), of the skiers who sustained injuries, were males. The average age of these individuals was forty. They also found out that at the time of the accident, most of them had been skiing at fairly lower speeds. According to Dr. Michael Lorin, a renowned orthopedic surgeon at the Bern University, the probability of these skiers getting injured increased when there was an increased readiness for risk.
Equally, it was established that old snow as well as new ski devices increased their risk of injuries significantly. However, intoxication didn’t. It also emerged that among the control group, there were relatively more self-confessed alcoholics. Consequently, the use of drugs somehow contributed to injury risk.
According to the findings of this study, there are noticeable risks involved in skiing. So before you set out on a journey to the nation’s slopes during this period, it would be an excellent idea to do what it takes to decrease your risk of encountering problems on the slopes. It is imperative to note that the likelihood of getting injured while skiing is relatively high.
Thanks to these significant contributions, the cases of lower-leg injuries, typically shinbone fractures, has reduced incredibly over the years. Unfortunately, the number of injuries involving sprained knees has remarkably increased, even though the overall number of knee-related injuries is diminishing.
According to the research, all this can be attributed to the introduction of those modern high-end gadgets. The previous models, encouraged sweeping and supported highly carved turns thus exerting lots of pressure on your anterior cruciate ligament in your knee. Finally, age also plays a role in this. Anterior cruciate ligament sprains are known to attack skiing enthusiasts above the age of thirty.
So what can you do to decrease your chances of getting injured?
The most important thing is to have your equipment examined by a highly qualified technician before hitting the slopes. According to the researchers, even the most high-end bindings may not be that effective if the settings aren’t correct. In this case, if they release too easily, you risk being injured. Also, if you are skiing with your child/children, ensure that you secure him/her with a device that fits.
Arguably most important, you must know how you should fall. You should never throw out your arm in a bid to prevent the severity of the fall, as you risk injuring your thumb, wrist, elbow and shoulder in the process, which could result in dislocation, sprains or breaks. Don’t stand up while on the move, and be sure to use a helmet or headgear, as they can reduce the risk of head injuries by up to fifty percent.
