Tips to shine safe on slopes

By Song Sang-ho

Finally, the ski season has arrived. As skiing is one of the most popular winter sports here, on weekends resorts around the country are crowded with skiers who have been eagerly waiting for this moment. Those who headed to water parks for dates during the summer are now going to ski resorts.

Beginners often ask how they can learn to ski, and the answer they usually get is, “Just go all the way up the trail and don’t think of anything. When you get there and get started you will know what to do.”

Of course, gravity will help you slide to the bottom of the trail and you can do nothing about it. As soon as you get to the top of the trail, the height and an overly steep slope will scare you to death and you will soon realize that the advice gets you nowhere. People tend to force others to just go for something without even telling them the possible risks or providing helpful information as long as it’s not themselves who are in the situation.

According to reports by National Emergency Management, there were on average 12,662 people injured while skiing or snowboarding every year from 2007 to 2010. The figure shows how indifferent we are about safety.

There are diverse injuries that you can suffer while skiing. When you ski or snowboard, you usually fall down with your upper body twisted while the lower body is fixed onto the skis or the board, which causes injury to the cartilage in the knee or ligaments. Between 20 and 30 percent of injured skiers are diagnosed with anterior cruciate ligament ruptures, caused by a fracture or a tear in a knee bone or knee ligament. The anterior cruciate ligament is located between the thigh bone and the knee bone, and prevents your knee from moving back and forth helplessly. However, since it is thin and easily twisted, you should be careful not to damage it by applying unnecessary force to it.

When you rupture your anterior cruciate ligament, you will know right away by hearing a snapping sound inside the knee. You will not be able to walk because of severe pain and after two or three hours, internal bleeding will occur to make your knee swollen. Often people do not go to the doctor thinking it is merely a bruise but it requires complicated treatment including surgery. If you do not pay enough attention to it, it might develop into degenerative arthritis.

When you are injured, do not move and wait for help. When you find the pain too severe, there is a possibility that you have ligament damage or a broken or dislocated bone. In that case, it is suggested not to move the joint at all but stay still until someone comes to help you.

The treatment varies depending on the seriousness of the damage. In the case of a simple strain, two weeks of treatment will be fine while fractures will need on average two months in a cast. However, if you have your ligament completely torn or accompanied by cartilage damage, you might need surgery. In this case, you should go to a specialist for an accurate diagnosis. When you rupture the cruciate ligament, simple surgery with an arthroendoscopic procedure is needed.

If you are planning a date at a ski resort, learn everything you need to know about safety before you go. Lower injury risks by receiving safety training from an expert. Stretch and warm-up as much as possible so that you do not overstrain the joints.

Wear knee pads to minimize any knee injuries. You also need to put on a helmet, wrinkle pads and other padding so that you can avoid severe shock to your brain, coccyx and sacrum.

Make sure that you take as many clothes as you can to the ski resort. Body cells and organs will not function properly in low temperatures and cold winds. Wear heavy clothes to avoid hypothermia and perfrigeration. Be equipped with proper ski outfits and equipment. You are recommended to wear several layers and not to take clothes off suddenly if feeling hot after skiing.

We are expecting an extraordinarily cold winter this year but people probably won’t stay home doing nothing. Get yourself wrapped up and go skiing but do not forget about safety. Your date will fall in love with you more seeing you take care of yourself and of others.

The writer is the president of Wellton Bone & Joint Hospital.