Winter Prehab
Baby it's cold outside...
Skiing/snowboarding is a technical sport, placing high demands on one's skillset due to the extremely high variability of conditions encountered. Variations in terrain, snow conditions, speed, and visibility all require you to constantly adapt technique and tactics effectively. This has important implications for how winter sports people should train for the upcoming season due to the variable nature of conditions.
Snow sports require a range of physical capacities, including strength, power, endurance, stability, cardiovascular fitness, balance, coordination, and neuromuscular control.
If you think about it, the ski season normally runs for about 3-4 months in the year. The other 8 months we carry on with our respective routines. Then when winter comes along, without any training, and more often than not without any warm up, we slap on a pair of skis or a board and go hurtling down steep slopes > with as mentioned extremely variable conditions and a lot of other unruly people about.
Common injuries sustained while skiing.
Ligament injuries. Complete or partial tears most commonly to ACL and MCL. Women are 3-6 x more likely to tear their ACL compared to males (Knee valgus angle, hormonal changes and possible strength discrepancies)
Skiers’ trio: ACL and MCL rupture + tibial plateau fracture.
Tibia + fibula fractures (“boot top fractures”).
Skier’s thumb (complete rupture of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of the metacarpophalangeal joint).
Partial or complete tearing of rotator cuff tendons.
Dislocated shoulder.
Dislocated patella.
Common injuries sustained while snowboarding.
Upper limb injuries, especially to the wrists, are the most common snowboarding injuries. Your wrists take the hit when you fall, which can be a lot for a beginner. When you do not know how to fall correctly, it is instinctive to stop your fall with outstretched hands, arms, and wrists, as you cannot use your legs. FOOSH (fall on outstretch hand), fracture of wrist (radius/ulnar) to metacarpal bones of the hand. 50% of all fractures involve the wrist. Colles fracture, Scaphoid fracture
Elbow dislocations.
Shoulder dislocations and RC strains/tears.
Patella dislocation
Head injuries are also more common. You are in a fixed position, have less balance without sticks, and easily fall backward or forward. Head injuries are not always serious, but they often cause concussions and fractures. A concussion is a mild type of brain injury
A good prehab program for the winter season includes...
Strengthening exercises
Quadriceps (narrow heel raised squat).
Eccentric hamstring strength (acl).
Hip abductors (knee angle)
Glutes (hip bridge)
Weight bearing wrist/upper limb activities – plank.
Plank to push up etc. Core strength.
Rotator cuff strength – strength into positions where are is away from the body.
Deep neck flexor strength
Functional strengthening exercises which combine movements.
Abdominal strength. Improved strength and stability through the mid-section reduced incidence of low limb injuries.
Weightbearing on hands. Think planks, side planks, push ups etc
Balance exercises
Start with reducing base of support. Think feet together or tandem stance (one foot behind the other).
Can add in head turns.
Can add in closing the eyes.
Can add in unstable surface ie standing on foam or a wobble cushion.
Neuromuscular control + motor control exercises.
Think jumping from side to side. Jumping up and down. Sudden start stop type of movements.
Rapid change of direction movements.
Agility, balance, plyometric, power, stability, and strength training combined.
Essentially the beauty of the reformer is that we can work in several different planes of movement depending on the client’s level of ability (or stage of rehabilitation). Whether that is eccentric hamstring work, hip abductor strengthening, rotator cuff and serratus anterior strength in an abducted traditionally unstable position, or the large focus on ‘core strength’, muscle recruitment patterns and lumbo-pelvic stability. Due to the nature of reformer Pilates based movements there is a high degree of neuromuscular control involved. If you compare the likes of a seated knee extension at the gym compared to a moving unstable lunge up on the reformer – you can imagine the level of motor control and co-ordination required is much higher.
Neuromuscular control exercises allow the body to produce force and dynamically stabilize, essentially to maintain balance during movement. Traditional machine-based strength training eliminates the need for this. Neuromuscular control training may be done in functional movement patterns and in a multisensory environment. Exercise progression should occur from slow to fast, from using one extremity to using both, from performing simple movements to performing complex ones, and from performing movements with eyes open to performing them with eyes closed.
In any program whether it be Pilates, gym workouts or home-based exercise always start with simple exercises done in a slow and controlled manner. Once you are nailing these with increased weights or sets you may increase the level of difficulty by either increasing speed/power, increasing difficulty (for example bilateral work to single leg work), reducing balance such as standing on foam etc. Essentially you are always looking to layer and increase complexity over time as the body adapts.
If you would like to improve your strength, co-ordination, balance, flexibility and neuromuscular control we would love to work with you directly in the beautiful studio. Whether you would prefer to attend our fun small group classes or would rather have a private session we have options to suit. We are ACC registered. FORM Pilates Studio is Queenstown's only reformer Pilates studio where the instructors are all senior physiotherapists and exercise rehabilitation specialists. You can rest assured you will always be kept safe, challenged and encouraged. We can tailor exercise to your specific goals. If you would like to book in for a group class, please see the website for details of how to book (or if you would like a private session, please contact us directly). If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at info@formpilates.co.nz .
Check out our FREE Prehab exercise plans below!
