Return to sport, a humbling experience

[echo_VT]

I run and cycle too, and often train for long distances — while it’s great for cardio it almost does nothing for me returning to skiing. Like @MrsPlow . the most I can do on return to snow day 1 is one to two runs with like 5 stops on the side to get out of my boots / unbuckle and rest for a min …

This season I did strength and leg conditioning 4 weeks prior to the start of the season and I cycled a ton and ran a 10 mile race (so I trained in running and cycling)… none of it really helped me. It’s just time on snow for me.

my daughter spends 1 hour per day in her ski boots for at least a month before getting on hill. She also runs cross country before the season. It’s like she never took a break from skiing. I may try this (wearing boots daily) next season. She is young (12 years old now, 11 when she did it) so it could be youth. I don’t know.

don’t be dismayed! Recovering from injury is that much harder!

 

[TheGreenOne]

I'm in my 2nd season back after ACLr.

Last season, my first season back I experienced what you did, this season has been infinitely better when I did get to go out. I actually had ACL and MCL tear with tiny meniscus tear that was just trimmed. Ended up taking two seasons off, because of the pandemic, which probably worked out better for my knee.

Was a beginner prior to injury, made some progress last season, and a lot more this season.

One of the things I do at home to get my gimp-leg used to the movements, especially the unexpected bits, is just use a balance board casually. I'll stand on it and rock different directions movements (even doing single leg) while watching TV standing. It kinda works like being on a slope in a way.

I did get to have some turns off-season, as Big Snow the indoor ski slope is near my home in NJ, so that may have also helped?

Last season I was on a soft 80 wide 146 cm length tween ski, now on Rossignol Experience Basalts, 82 underfoot and 159 cm long. It does feel tad difficult to control on steeper trails, which for me were ungroomed blues, mainly notable by feeing some pressure on joint capsule. Though I'm not sure how much my weight dropping has to do with that feeling. I was 10lb heavier when I bought the Experience

You'll get there, it's definitely frustrating relearning when your normal has shifted.

I signed myself up to fix my bunion in late April... so going to be doing post-op re-learn again, hopefully for the better. I've been waiting to get a real good boot fitting till the bunion is gone so I don't have to have the shell blown out.

I did notice after lunch beer I'd have lot easier time getting my edges engaged the way I wanted... so quieting the inner brain screaming definitely helps me.

 

[Peaheartsmama]

Adding another voice of support here. I totally feel you. I tore my left ACL, did 7 months of PT, started skiing again and within about a month tore the OTHER one. (UGH) And then another surgery and 8 months of PT. So you can imagine how hard it was to go back that third year. DH replaced my skis and boots to get rid of the bad Juju ;) - I got narrower, shorter skis and very well fitted boots with custom insoles. I also use Donjoy forcepoint braces when I ski to provide extra (moral and physical!) support. In fact I still do even if I probably don’t need them anymore. I also signed up for a whole bunch of lessons and did Okemos WAA program. All to help me get out of my head. 5 seasons later - I am still skiing - conservatively for sure but still getting out there and enjoying it so much. So give yourself time to heal and be stronger. and next season get as much mileage as you can - practice is what will get you back to your old form and comfort level. Lessons with a great coach also help a lot as well.

 

[TheGreenOne]

I also use Donjoy forcepoint braces when I ski to provide extra (moral and physical!) support. In fact I still do even if I probably don’t need them anymore.

Oh right, I forgot, I used my functional brace last season. Bregg z13 if I remember correctly. I could fit it under my baggy shell pants.

To note, braces won't prevent injury but the moral and the physical support (for me preventing hypermobile movement) helped a ton.

 

[Peaheartsmama]

Yea it’s tricky to find pants that work with those chunky things. And I’m so used to them now my knees would feel oddly naked/ vulnerable without them.

 

[TheGreenOne]

Yea it’s tricky to find pants that work with those chunky things. And I’m so used to them now my knees would feel oddly naked/ vulnerable without them.

I met an instructor that always wore braces on both his knees! So there are many out there using additional supports

 

[skibum4ever]

I will definitely wear an off the shelf knee brace and a thigh brace when I return to skiing. If it goes well I may invest in a custom brace over the summer. But I can't afford to purchase it until I know I will be able to ski next winter.

I may also try the Againer exoskeleton.

Againer Exoskeleton Supports Legs, Relieves Muscle Fatigue - SeniorsSkiing.com

SeniorsSkiing.com’s Reviewer Tried Againer Exoskeleton On His Second Day On Snow. Find Out How It Worked For Him. I am a 75-year old, advanced intermediate skier with 10 years experience as a PSIA instructor in the East and mild osteoarthritis in my left knee. I currently ski at Alta; that’s...

www.seniorsskiing.com

This has been recommended to me by several older skiers who are coming back after injury. Since it costs over $1000, it is definitely something to test drive before purchasing.

I may start a new thread on skiing braces...

 

[TheGreenOne]

Yea it’s tricky to find pants that work with those chunky things. And I’m so used to them now my knees would feel oddly naked/ vulnerable without them.

Oh wow, more memories. I remember initially getting rid of the functional brace for everyday life and it felt so odd.

If it weren't for my PT harping at me constantly, I'd have used it longer for standard daily life.


For a custom brace, if you are recently injured and in rehab period, your insurance may cover it, but you often have to ask.

My surgeon didn't offer the functional brace, I asked -- when I got the pair from the hospital, I went and got the athletic version (slightly smaller with more friction-holding padding) from eBay for around $50 bucks.

If I ever get injure again, I'm asking for actual custom brace. The off-the-shelf functional brace was OK, but as we all know these items while called 'uni-sex' are really made for male bodies.

 

[geargrrl]

I find this so interesting. My surgeon wanted my recovery to be such that I would not need to ski in a brace.

 

[skibum4ever]

My surgeon did not tell me that I should ski with a brace, but when I suggested it he said that it might improve my odds if I fell.

 

[TheGreenOne]

Regarding using brace when you return to activity --- from what I've read of other experiences, most surgeons don't tell you to use it, and some will actively discourage using them too much, but if you ask, they will probably help you get one. It seemed to have been the case in ACLr communities that those of us that had a functional brace asked for them to aid in return to sport.

For me, the functional brace was more a mental security blanket and physical reminder not to hyperextend—my natural stance. Even though I finished rehab and kept my repaired knee at 0 degrees for good time after the repair, hyperextension is back in my repaired knee, no longer using the brace though.

What I've seen in ACL patient communities is that the return of hyperextension is common for those of us that hyperextended prior, even when PT tries to keep you at 0 and retrain the good leg to match 0 angle. Matching hyperextension at end of rehab to the good knee can apparently risk in loose grafts over time.

 

[Ski Sine Fine]

What I've seen in ACL patient communities is that the return of hyperextension is common for those of us that hyperextended prior, even when PT tries to keep you at 0 and retrain the good leg to match 0 angle. Matching hyperextension at end of rehab to the good knee can apparently risk in loose grafts over time.

That’s interesting. My knees naturally hyper-extend before I tore my left ACL. When I got the ACL replaced almost 30 years ago, the surgeon fixed it at 0 degree. Ever since then, when I straighten my legs, my left leg is at 0 degree and my right is slightly hyper-extended.

I’ve never skied with a brace for the ACL. I wore a soft brace for a couple of years after the meniscus tear. Now sometimes I wear a compression sleeve. Mostly I don’t wear any brace at all.

 

[HikenSki]

Oh wow, more memories. I remember initially getting rid of the functional brace for everyday life and it felt so odd.

If it weren't for my PT harping at me constantly, I'd have used it longer for standard daily life.


For a custom brace, if you are recently injured and in rehab period, your insurance may cover it, but you often have to ask.

My surgeon didn't offer the functional brace, I asked -- when I got the pair from the hospital, I went and got the athletic version (slightly smaller with more friction-holding padding) from eBay for around $50 bucks.

If I ever get injure again, I'm asking for actual custom brace. The off-the-shelf functional brace was OK, but as we all know these items while called 'uni-sex' are really made for male bodies.

My doctor advised a brace for extra security. It was mostly covered by insurance. I have the Breg Fusion. It's pretty crazy how light it is. It may not 100% prevent a reinjury but it provides some protection. For me it's some mental assurance but also some protection against someone hitting me, which I'm most afraid off.

Fortunately the brace fits inside my frumpy insulated pants but I had to invest in some new bibs for mild weather days as the two pants I had were too firm fitting to even get the pants up last the brace. The two days out I didn't notice the brace at all, only when getting on the lift when the back of the brace contacted the chair seat.

 

[TheGreenOne]

My doctor advised a brace for extra security. It was mostly covered by insurance. I have the Breg Fusion. It's pretty crazy how light it is. It may not 100% prevent a reinjury but it provides some protection. For me it's some mental assurance but also some protection against someone hitting me, which I'm most afraid off.

Fortunately the brace fits inside my frumpy insulated pants but I had to invest in some new bibs for mild weather days as the two pants I had were too firm fitting to even get the pants up last the brace. The two days out I didn't notice the brace at all, only when getting on the lift when the back of the brace contacted the chair seat.

Mental assurance is so helpful and needed. No one should feel less for using whatever 'crutch' as people call it to get back. We aren't professional athletes for the I'd imagine, so forge your own path.

As we all know, our own body being too tight and tense to response in time can also prevent progress or at worse, be a component in injury, if brace helps go for it. I just got lazy and stopped using it, and realized I don't really need it so have been staying off this season.

I've worn brace over just base layer on warm spring days first season I returned. No one cared, and if they noticed, I'm guessing they gave me extra personal space; which is fine by me.

 

[TheGreenOne]

That’s interesting. My knees naturally hyper-extend before I tore my left ACL. When I got the ACL replaced almost 30 years ago, the surgeon fixed it at 0 degree. Ever since then, when I straighten my legs, my left leg is at 0 degree and my right is slightly hyper-extended.

I’ve never skied with a brace for the ACL. I wore a soft brace for a couple of years after the meniscus tear. Now sometimes I wear a compression sleeve. Mostly I don’t wear any brace at all.

I don't wear a brace anymore either for activities or every day life.

My hyperextension isn't as severe as it used to be in my repair knee, but I do have it enough where I don't have to consciously keep my good knee at 0, I can let it drop and hyperextend per usual.

The difference between us, how you were able to keep the 0 degree fix, may have to do with our individual connective tissue make up. My repair knee is also on the slightly longer leg so that probably contributed to the hyperextension returning. Plus... I've been told by docs and PTs I may have ehlers-danlos syndrome, which affects connective tissues and overall makes people's joints unstable.