Winter Injury Prevention for the Weekend Athlete

Friday, March 09, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Heading out for a ski trip makes for a great weekend, but over 400,000 people are treated for winter sports related injuries in the US annually. Aside from the obvious precaution of wearing recommended safety equipment, there is something you can do to increase your chances of staying injury-free this winter.

Winter sports are a New England tradition

“It’s the winter time, and people aren’t as active,” Jimmy Kakouris, a therapist at Worcester Physical Therapy, said. “We’ve found that a lot of the winter injuries that are occurring are with weekend athletes, people that are only doing things some of the time.”

Kakouris believes that the “weekend athlete” mentality leads to many neglecting simple fitness essentials, like stretching. He says doing light exercise and remembering to stretch can warm your muscles up for physical exertion, making pulls and strains less likely. Another tip Kakouris has is simple balance training around your house. You can strengthen your core and improve your balance every day just by standing on one foot while you brush your teeth or wash the dishes.

While these tips will certainly help anyone heading out on a skiing trip or gearing up for ice-skating, some injuries are unavoidable. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that 148,000 people were injured in skiing accidents alone in 2010. Kakouris says the most common winter injuries are fractures in the leg just above where a ski boot cuts off, and a variety of shoulder ailments. Once a physician has treated these injuries, physical therapists go to work to rebuild strength in the injured areas.

“We do a lot of exercises to help people regain their range of motion,” Kakouris said. “Then, if it were a lower extremity, we would actually teach them how to walk again properly, and work to strengthen appropriate muscles.”

One piece of equipment Worcester Physical Therapy uses to get people back on their feet is the Alter-G. This anti-gravity treadmill can actually calibrate a person’s weight, and reduce the stress on their joints while running or walking. To do this, a patient must step into the treadmill’s anti-gravity bubble. This covers the patient’s lower body, and shoots air up to make it feel as if the patient is running at as little as 20 percent of their normal body weight. It is an incredibly rare piece of equipment, currently used by elite Olympic runners and professional sports franchises.

Physical Therapy can treat and prevent injuries

Along with sudden injuries, what many perceive as “wear and tear” on joints can come about after long days of activity. Chad Coporale, a therapist at both Worcester Physical Therapy and St. John’s School in Shrewsbury, says that some “chronic knee pain” can be cured with a simple adjustment.

“People come in complaining about knee pain all the time,” Coporale said. “The problem usually is that they have a tight IT band. We can bring them in and loosen them up, and they usually feel much better the same day.”

The IT, or iliotibial, band is a muscle that runs down the lateral leg from the hip and connects at the knee. Coporale says that many people can mistake pain in this muscle for knee pain. It can be alleviated through stretching, and by strengthening the muscles in your legs and glutes.

If you are in the process of recovering from an injury, or simply want to work on injury prevention, you can reach the professionals at Worcester Physical Therapy at their website http://www.worcpt.com/" target="_blank">here.