Do you worry about getting injured?

[ski diva]

We've had threads about fear before. So when I saw this in another thread, I thought I'd put this out there. How do you deal with the fear of getting hurt?

I guess that lurking in the back of my mind, there's a little warning bell that says that if I have an accident, I might have to stop skiing for good, and I don't even want to think about that. It's not something that keeps me from challenging myself, but it does put some limits on how far I choose to go. Is this a function of getting older? Or is it related to the pain I feel in my knees sometimes? Maybe a bit of both.

There are a lot of head games associated with skiing. So unless the situation is really dire -- one that sets off alarm bells in my head, as in "if I go down this cliff I will die" -- I try not to think about it too much. I mean, you could easily get hurt driving a car or falling down stairs. I have a friend who broke her leg in three places after tripping over a curb. The only way not to get hurt is to never do anything at all. And what fun is that?

I think it'd be a lot harder if I'd been seriously injured in the past. Some of the Divas here have been through that and still managed to get back into skiing -- which I think must have been quite difficult; they deserve a lot of credit. I'd be interested to hear how they handled that.

 

[Kimmyt]

I am affected by this alot. It's not as bad with skiing as with some other sports. But I still get moments where I bail on something I should commit to, simply because I envision an injury. And an injury wouldn't only keep me from skiing, but keep me from doing alot, and that would wreck me.

So yeah, I'm limited by my fear, but I think I still find alot of ways to improve and I haven't yet gotten to the point in my skiing where the only way to improve more is to ski more and more dangerous lines.

K.

 

[altagirl]

As one who gets injured fairly often...

I guess part of it is knowing that I can recover from those injuries. Yes, maybe not really 100%, but enough to ski even better than I did pre-injury because I can keep working on skills and technique, etc. (Okay, so some injuries I might not be able to recover from, but I've had 4 knee injuries resulting in me not being able to walk temporarily, and I've recovered to be able to ski and bike and everything again - and even better than before, so... in general, with the appropriate time and rehab, you can come back from most injuries).

I've also had plenty of time to discuss oh, the philosophy of getting injured and how hard to push yourself, how much risk to take, etc. with my physical therapists. And one of the things that always motivates me to get right back to it is that they have told me the worst cases they see are those who "quit" to be safe. Once you've been injured, typically you'll do much better by staying active. It keeps your muscles strong, your joints lubricated and mobile, etc. The people who REALLY end up being a mess are those who decide to play it safe and stay on the sofa. You gain weight, lose muscle and flexibility. And then, you trip and fall walking around the house and now - it's extremely difficult to recover without that fitness and muscle base.

There was a woman I met in physical therapy who was washing her car, apparently tripped on the hose and woke up in the hospital. She had shattered her femur and tore every ligament in her knee. They almost had to amputate her leg. It was one of the worst injuries the therapists had ever seen and it wasn't from doing anything at all really. I also have a friend who was a pro BMX racer. Lots of risk taking there. But his worst injury was that he dislocated his shoulder while rolling over in bed with his arm stuck under the blanket funny.

You can't protect yourself completely by playing it safe. And imagine the mental state you'd be in if you never did anything fun or got regular exercise, not to mention how you'd feel physically?

Yes, I've learned to say no to some things. Tough terrain in horrible conditions, super early season off piste stuff where there are downed trees hiding under the snow, that last run where my legs are really tired... I do avoid the things that I know are a pointless risk. But I still ski exposed terrain, and ski fast, and jump off of... well small-ish things, and all of that. And I still try to push myself to do things that scare me. I just try to apply some logic to it. Push my limits when I'm feeling good - after I'm warmed up but not when I'm over-tired. (That mirrors advice I got from Gordy too at his camps).

 

[Gloria]

Red Flags

It's true, sometimes you just feel funny. I actually feel more like I am going to get hurt on groomed runs than anything else. More than likely, this is where I gotten injured. The weird thing about injuries though is the fear of getting one is sometimes more crippling than the injury itself. I have found myself saying after an injury that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

 

[cyn]

that "funny" feeling

I can really identify with feeling "funny" sometimes. It's not fear per se, but more of an instinctive thing. I tried ignoring my instincts for the first 35 years or so of my life, until finally I began trusting them, and you know what? My instincts - whether they had to do with sports or people or different situations - were always right.

So I usually just go for it when I am skiing, but there are times, when I am tired or in pain or my inner self tells me to stop and think for a moment, that I do err on the side of caution. I am way over having to prove things to myself, my husband or anyone else.

I do enjoy that little tickle of fear when I'm looking down something really steep just before I ski it. It's the same kind of rush I used to get when I was a reporter and about to go on the air live. It keeps you hyper aware and very much on your toes, which is definitely a good thing.

 

[volklgirl]

I love that little tickle in my tummy when I'm looking at something scary and trying to visualize myself doing it!

My only serious injury (blown ACL) was on the groomed...you know, "just one more run". :( It took a very long time to really get rid of the niggling doubt and worry in the back of my brain after that even though I was skiing without any problems.

Now I will look something over 1x. If I can pick a line and visualize myself doing it, I'm good to go. If I have to look it over again, or I have any doubts, I walk away. A doubt in the brain seems to translate into a disaster in the making (I will make that stupid kicker jump on the mountain bike this year :o ).

 

[NannyMin]

I don't worry too much when I'm on the slopes. I do have to make sure I'm "prepared" to be injured before I hit the slopes. I always have to have my ID/Credit Card/Insurance Card all easily accessible. I also make sure my personal possessions at the hotel or house are organized so that if someone else has to pack me up it is easy. I'm a bit complusive about making sure this all done. After that I'm good to go and I'm confident that even if I get into a situation that is over my head I can get myself out of it (maybe not so gracefully though!).

 

[abc]

I'm a "naturally optimistic" kind of a person. So that helps a lot. I look at injuries from the positive side mostly. A little bit of risk gets my adrenalins shoot up, and I get excited...

I look at it the same way altagirl does. There're so much risk in our "everyday life", it's pointless to WORRY about getting injured from skiing.

I've "stretched" my MCL on both knees. The only time I had my fear was the first one. I wasn't sure I would be back to 100% so the doubt was killing me for the 8 weeks for the swelling to go down and the muscle to got back to strength... Fortunately, MCL's do heal back on their own. So the subsequent times, it was no biggy. More over, I knew I would come back in most injuries if I work hard enough.

I've also seen a lot of injuries of friends from other sports, cycling in particular. Death, dibilitating injuries (bruised spinal cord). None of them had anything to do with taking risk. Just out riding around. If it happens, it happens.

That doesn't mean I'll take any unneccesary risk though. In mountain biking, we have a term "pain to fun ratio"!!! If that ratio is too high, it's time to back off. ;)

 

[Pequenita]

I was 16 when I partially tore my ACL and meniscus, and stretched my MCL skiing. I woke up from surgery with a full leg cast, and by the time that came off, I had no muscles left in my leg. It took me nearly 3 years to get back on the slopes, mostly out of fear, and another 7 years to ski as aggressively as I had before (thank you, parabolic skis!!).....before I fully ruptured the previously partially-torn ACL while playing soccer with boys. Argh.

I was back skiing much quicker the second time. Now I pay really close attention to how my mind and body are feeling throughout the day, and quit when I'm ahead. For me, this translates to: "Don't try to catch the last lift up" and "Stop if you're not having fun."

 

[SnowHot]

I heal relatively quickly so I don't usually get concerned about injury.

I have, on the other hand, had whoo hooo moments turn into, "I'm gonna hurt myself" moments but that is part of the excitement and thrill of skiing(among other things)

 

[ski now work later]

My biggest fear is being injured by another skier on the mountain crashing into me, which is why I don't ski in Vermont on the weekends except in early and late season. Instead, I take my kids to a smaller, local mountain and I try to ski one day a week mid-week all season (I skiied 13 mid-week days this season!).

I get pretty scared trying jumps in the park, but I want to learn so I'm going to temper my fear and the safety risk by finding a coach for next season to guide me. I find that I get very warm from all the adrenaline, so I bought a lighter Burton soft shell to wear next season, especially because the parks tend to be on the lower half of the mountain so it's not as windy or cold there....

I am self-employed, self-supporting, and have a lot of children, so the fear of an injury that would limit my income is pretty real. I try not to ski late in the day and avoid that "one last run" thing. This past February, I let my sister-in-law take me on black and difficult blue runs at Big Sky that were much too difficult for me for my first day out on that trip, and I'm not going to let that happen again (I've also had that problem with some instructors especially when in a group situation where there are varied levels of skiers).

In February 2006, I took a Women's Alpine Adventure (WAA) clinic at Okemo and the leader, Maria Tomeselli, recommended a book called "In the Yikes Zone" by Mermer Blakeslee. I bought and read it, and it had some interesting vignettes about fear for all level of skiers.

Mostly, I think we are all drawn to skiing to some degree because of the thrill of it, which implies some fear. It's all about finding balance between comfort/stability and challenge/risk. It's all good.

 

[SnowHot]

In February 2006, I took a Women's Alpine Adventure (WAA) clinic at Okemo and the leader, Maria Tomeselli, recommended a book called "In the Yikes Zone" by Mermer Blakeslee. I bought and read it, and it had some interesting vignettes about fear for all level of skiers.

I think I'm going to get that book for my sister!

Mostly, I think we are all drawn to skiing to some degree because of the thrill of it, which implies some fear. It's all about finding balance between comfort/stability and challenge/risk. It's all good.

My sister skis only to be active with her family and doesn't really get the same thrill out of it that we do.

One day we were talking and she said, "when I am in the middle of a transition from going one direction to the other and I'm facing down hill I freak because I think I'm going to go flying down the hill. Tricia, how did you get over that fear?"
My answer......."Fear, I've always loved the rush of that moment when you get that little kick in the carve"

 

[abc]

I heal relatively quickly so I don't usually get concerned about injury.

This must be the reason I'm somewhere unconcerned with injuries. I, too, heal relatively fast.

Though I'd better knock on wood that I don't get injury too much. After all, I'm not getting any younger...

 

[Jilly]

Well yes I'm concerned about getting injuried - work, pay cheque etc. But so far I know my abilities and strengths, and usually can't let anybody talk me into something. So - I stop when I'm getting tired My cousin was climbing Everest and posted on her blog you need 25% of your energy to get back down to base. She is so right. You can be standing on the top of mount X and need the energy to return to bottom. My main concern is being hit by someone else. Tremblant can be crowded on weekends. It's a treat to ski mid-week or even Friday or Monday. This year I didn't find it too bad, but then we're locals and know where NOT to be at certain times of the day. So far in my skiing lift I've pulled a hamstring, been concussed when hit by a student and sprained both thumbs. Not bad for 45 years of skiing!!

 

[pinto]

Yeah, I've never really been injured skiing. I've had plenty of injuries in soccer and a tweak here and there while skiing. Mainly I try not to think about it. It makes a huge difference when you worry about it.

 

[abc]

Since we're on the subject, I'll share one of my most horrifying experience regarding injury (not mine).

I was on a bike ride and one of them got seriously injured. The accident happened rigth next to me. I saw the blood and "stuff" on the ground and nearly fainted. Still have to "act brave" to keep talking to the injured while waiting for the ambulance. Stressful was a gross understatement.

As if that wasn't bad enough, several weeks later, we learned the injured cyclist will NOT make a full recovery. She's partially paralized, for life.

It shook me up so badly I seriously consider giving up cycling! But, that's when I realized how important cycling is to me. Because I couldn't imagine life without cycling.

So, to make a long story short. I got over it, sort of. There's never a year gone by without something to trigger the memory of that incident. But it's now more of a footnote kind of thing.

For the 10+ year since then, I've had friends lost to other accidents, lost to cancer, lost to other illnesses. I've now look at injury and death as a more or less "life process" instead of dramatic events.

The important thing is to live life to the fullest.

That, doesn't actually equate taking undue risks. Though it does allow me to be at peace with the risk I decide to take, NOT having to worry unneccessarily, AND able to enjoy the thrill.

 

[lil mountain girl]

injuries . . .

well, working as a volunteer ski patroller, i've definately seen a lot of skier/rider injuries and when it comes down to it most of the injuries were preventable, and the others were more or less attributed to the random acts of life

it's funny, when patrolling we can actually predict the number of injuries (usually knee related) based on our morning run checks before the mountain opens for public -- usually looks like this:
funky snow consistancy + impatience = first aid

in hindsight, most of my own injuries could have been avoided :o

things that have helped me out (after learning the hard way ):

1) stay active -- balance strength, cardio, and flexibility
2) BALANCE is your friend!!!!
the balance between mucle groups in strength and flexibility is so important;
for example, climbers tend to have issues with their wrists/forearms from overdeveloped inner forearm strength; to prevent injury stretch the inner forearm and strengthen the back of the forearm (opposite muscle) -- balance! :D
this is one of the most valuable things i ever learned in physio!!!
3) warm ups, cool downs, and knowing when not to . . .

also, strengthening "balancing" muscles and core help too!

 

[persee]

I luckily have yet to be injured skiing - I've taken some spectacular falls but no injuries. I think I can attribute the lack of injuries to 2 things: Luck, certainly this always plays a roll. Keeping lose when I fall. For the most part I know when I'm going to fall and can choose somewhat where/how I fall. I also tend to try to laugh at it while it's happening which keeps me from tensing up which seems to make injuries both more likely and worse. Sure I've had some bruises but nothing that didn't fade in a day or two.

The worst injuries I've had have had nothign to do with participating in any of the physical activities that I love:

Multiple sprained ankles - despite years of dance, gymnastics, etc my ankle sprains have all been due to careless falls when trying run down stairs too quickly.

Broken pinky finger - tripped over a headphone wire in my bedroom

Bruised kidney - got slammed into one of those metal ball racks in the gym by some lovely classmates. After many nights sick (any time I irritated the bruise) and much medical testing it finally just healed.

 

[persee]

injuries . . .


1) stay active -- balance strength, cardio, and flexibility
2) BALANCE is your friend!!!!
the balance between mucle groups in strength and flexibility is so important;
for example, climbers tend to have issues with their wrists/forearms from overdeveloped inner forearm strength; to prevent injury stretch the inner forearm and strengthen the back of the forearm (opposite muscle) -- balance! :D
this is one of the most valuable things i ever learned in physio!!!

also, strengthening "balancing" muscles and core help too!

You may have something here. I have great corestrength due to many years of intensive ballet. This core strength/balance has remained even when I'm not as active as I should be. Must be the cant' teach an old dog new tricks - my core grew up very strong so not much I can do will make it weak.

 

[kate]

And more fear...

I am a newbie Diva who found this community while looking for information about skiing and femur fractures. I am recovering from a very bad accident, my femur busted into a bunch of pieces. The scary thing to me was I was just cruising in a mellow "family zone" going to meet some friends at the bottom of the hill. So I can't say "wow, I'll never do that again," or "boy, that was pushing it." It was just a nightmare slow twisting fall and my bindings didn't come off.

I'm not sure I'm going to be phyically able to ski this upcoming season (the accident was almost 2 months ago and I still can't even put weight on my leg), but it's the mental stuff I'm most worried about. My kids are on ski team, and I can't stand the idea of not watching them race, let alone losing my whole winter "life" and community.

Have any of you come back from something really bad, or known someone (over the age of 20, please) who has? I could use some inspiration!

Thanks

Kate