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12-14-2006, 05:08 PM
A Program To Help Reduce The Risk Of
Serious Knee Injuries Among Alpine Skiers.
Knee injuries are a fact of life in any sport, but over the past twenty years serious knee sprains, usually involving the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), have become an inherent risk of modern Alpine skiing, with more than 20,000 sustained each year by skiers in the U. S. alone. The ACL, located near the center of the knee, helps to maintain proper alignment of the load-bearing surfaces. Injury to the ACL can result in an unstable knee, which may lead to expensive surgery or a lengthy period of rehabilitation if the injured skier is to resume an active lifestyle.
One bright spot in this picture is a video-based training program developed to help reduce the risk of certain types of knee injury among ski area employees. In a 1993 study, several thousand skiing professionals from ski areas across the U.S. used scenes of actual ACL sprains to define a composite description of critical events just prior to injury. Ski areas using this program have cut ACL sprains among instructors and patrollers by more than half. This success has led to the development of programs for the skiing public.
Events leading up to ACL injury are subtle, giving the skier little or no warning of impending injury. ACL Awareness programs provide three independent strategies for dealing with this lack of warning:
* Avoid altogether high risk behavior,
* Routinely correct poor skiing technique,
* Recognize and respond quickly and effectively to potentially dangerous situations.
Although there are many ways in which knee injuries can occur in skiing, this pamphlet concentrates on the two best understood scenarios, the Phantom Foot and the Boot Induced.
the article: http://www.vermontskisafety.com/faq_skiers/faq_skiers_tips.html
Serious Knee Injuries Among Alpine Skiers.
Knee injuries are a fact of life in any sport, but over the past twenty years serious knee sprains, usually involving the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), have become an inherent risk of modern Alpine skiing, with more than 20,000 sustained each year by skiers in the U. S. alone. The ACL, located near the center of the knee, helps to maintain proper alignment of the load-bearing surfaces. Injury to the ACL can result in an unstable knee, which may lead to expensive surgery or a lengthy period of rehabilitation if the injured skier is to resume an active lifestyle.
One bright spot in this picture is a video-based training program developed to help reduce the risk of certain types of knee injury among ski area employees. In a 1993 study, several thousand skiing professionals from ski areas across the U.S. used scenes of actual ACL sprains to define a composite description of critical events just prior to injury. Ski areas using this program have cut ACL sprains among instructors and patrollers by more than half. This success has led to the development of programs for the skiing public.
Events leading up to ACL injury are subtle, giving the skier little or no warning of impending injury. ACL Awareness programs provide three independent strategies for dealing with this lack of warning:
* Avoid altogether high risk behavior,
* Routinely correct poor skiing technique,
* Recognize and respond quickly and effectively to potentially dangerous situations.
Although there are many ways in which knee injuries can occur in skiing, this pamphlet concentrates on the two best understood scenarios, the Phantom Foot and the Boot Induced.
the article: http://www.vermontskisafety.com/faq_skiers/faq_skiers_tips.html