Useful Tips To Help You Recover From A Skiing Injury

Skiing is a wonderful winter sport; not only do you get a chance to get out in the fresh air and beautiful scenery, it's fantastic exercise. But unfortunately, skiing is commonly associated with injuries, especially to the knees. If you have been waylaid by a skiing injury, you can take charge of your treatment. Being proactive in your treatment will help you heal faster, getting you back on the slopes earlier. After getting the OK from your surgeon, here are some tips to help you recover from a skiing injury:

Rehabilitation

Depending on the extent of your injury, you may need to visit a Physiotherapist for rehabilitation. Your therapist will work with you not only to help your current injury heal, but also to strengthen the injured area to prevent future injuries. Follow your therapist's instructions to the letter and be sure to practice the strengthening and range of motion exercises you will be prescribed.

Wear a Knee Brace

Wearing a knee brace during your recovery process will help you heal faster. If your skiing injury involved damage to the ligaments in the knee, wearing a brace will stabilise your knee and prevent re-injury during the healing process. Why is a knee brace so important? Braces prevent lateral and twisting movements in the knee, especially important in ACL and other ligament ruptures and injuries to the meniscus. At the same time, they still allow for smooth, controlled bending and extending movement so that the joint doesn't stiffen up, inhibiting healing. The best kind of knee brace for a skiing injury is one that provides a high level of protection, such as rigid framed, hinged styles. Your Orthotist or Physiotherapist can help recommend one that is right for your specific injury.

Other Tips for Recovery

- Warm and cold therapy can help loosen up the ligaments and tendons to ease pain. The heat will allow improved blood supply and alternated with cold therapy to squeeze out swelling and dead tissue cells, will improve your range of motion and also prevent the injury from stiffening up.
- Eating a healthy diet with proper nutrition is very important when you have had any kind of injury. Your body needs vitamins and minerals to repair itself and those in food are much more readily available than those in tablet or capsule form. Include plenty of calcium and iron-rich foods, such as low-fat dairy products, lean meats and greens such as spinach.
- To heal properly, your body also requires plenty of sleep. Working too hard and stressing yourself out will only lengthen your healing time. Get your full eight hours of sleep every night and take it easier during the day. You might find that raising your leg onto a pillow will help swelling to reduce.
- Practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, visualisation and even yoga can be quite effective in speeding up healing. They are also very effective for helping to deal with the pain that accompanies these types of injuries.
- Talk to your Orthotist or Physiotherapist about supplements like selenium and chondroitin and whether any of them would be appropriate for you. Don't add supplements to your diet without checking with your doctor first as some supplements can interact with prescription medications.
- Take prescribed medications as directed. They may be preventing swelling, which inhibits healing and will also reduce pain so that you can move easier and work through your rehab exercises.