By Reggie Reyes, BKin
and Mike Carrera, MSc.

At the end of every weekend, local hospitals tally up all the injuries that occurred at the ski and snowboarding resorts. In many cases, these injuries could have been avoided with proper strengthening and flexibility exercises. However, the unfortunate reality is that injuries do occur when participating in sports.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, each year more than 41,600 youths under the age of 15 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for skiing-related injuries. The most common injuries in downhill skiing are ligament sprains in the knee area, followed by soft tissue bruising and joint injuries. Most knee injuries are a result of twisting and falling or getting your feet caught or tangled as the rest of your body continues to twist and turn. On the other hand, the majority of snowboarding injuries are joint-related; common injury sites include the shoulders and wrists. Most shoulder and wrist injuries are the result of instinctively reaching out to break a fall.

The most effective way to reduce the risk of injury to a joint is to strengthen the muscles that cross or surround the joint. This strengthening process enables muscles to effectively perform their role of dynamic stabilization, therefore allowing the joints to sustain the trauma or excessive external forces that occur while skiing and snowboarding.

For example, to improve the strength and integrity of the knee joint, perform exercises that strengthen the muscles in your upper thigh (the quadriceps and hamstrings). Click on the links below for exercises to strengthen the joints related to the most common injury sites for downhill skiing and snowboarding.

1. Preventive and Rehabilitative Exercises for the Shoulder

2. Preventive and Rehabilitative Exercises for the Wrist

3. Preventive and Rehabilitative Exercises for the Knee

Performing these exercises along with a skiing and snowboarding-specific conditioning program for at least three weeks prior to hitting the slopes is the best injury prevention method. For an annual training plan for skiing, visit the Truestar Sport-Specific section.