| As northern hemisphere holidaymakers gear up for | | | | the bindings according to the height and experience |
| the ski season knee clinics gear up for the avalanche | | | | of the skier. People with their own skis may adjust |
| of skiers soon to pile up at their door! Let's look at | | | | the bindings themselves, and make sure that they |
| the reasons why. | | | | are good and tight so that the skis don't come off |
| Firstly the altitude. Even in the towns at the base of | | | | with every crash. Bindings are meant to come off |
| the slopes it may take several days to acclimatise to | | | | when you crash, to save the torque stress being |
| the altitude. Ever woken up on your first morning to | | | | applied to the knees instead! |
| find your eyes puffy? At low atmospheric pressure | | | | Lastly the snow. If only one could guarantee the |
| fluid escapes out of the blood vessels and into the | | | | every holiday will be blessed with good snow. With |
| tissues. Yet holiday skiers often race straight onto | | | | only a week's holiday, it's too bad if the snow is not |
| the slopes, where the pressure is even lower and | | | | optimal and holidaymakers have little option but to |
| oxygen in shorter supply. | | | | get out there on the slopes anyway. |
| Next take dehydration. The fluid escaping into body | | | | Now we have the full recipe for a cruciate ligament |
| tissues due to this low atmospheric pressure leaves | | | | disaster within the knee. Patchy snow with loads of |
| the blood vessels dehydrated. Even the very air you | | | | bits to snare the ski on. Tight bindings to ensure that |
| are breathing is dry as precipitation sucks the fluid | | | | the torque of a twisted ski is transferred directly |
| out of the atmosphere. Dehydration can drop your | | | | from the bindings to the cruciate ligaments inside the |
| blood pressure, so now the brain is being fuelled with | | | | knee. Compromised quads and hamstrings muscles |
| blood at a lower pressure and containing less oxygen. | | | | unable to protect the cruciates. All of a sudden a loud |
| This can show as mild fatigue, slight dizziness and mild | | | | CRACK! There goes the anterior cruciate ligament |
| shortness of breath. It's easy to just put this down | | | | and there goes the rest of the holiday! |
| to the bracing exercise, and decide to stop off at | | | | My advice is this. If you want to enjoy the ski |
| the top and heat up with a glass of mulled wine. | | | | season book up for more than a week. Book into |
| Oops, alcohol on top of oxygen-hunger? Not good | | | | your local gym for a few sessions under supervision |
| for the head, but not good for the leg muscles either. | | | | before you set off on your holiday. Then spend a |
| So let's look at the muscles. How often do you | | | | couple of days acclimatising on the lower slopes and |
| spend six hours a day with your knees bent five | | | | enjoying your mulled wine down there while your |
| degrees? Well, you do when you are skiing. Your | | | | body rehydrates and your blood pressure adjusts to |
| quads and hamstrings muscles are working overtime, | | | | compensate for the low oxygen pressure. Your |
| using up their stored fuel and further compromised | | | | knees will be so grateful and those knee clinic back |
| by their low blood pressure and oxygen deficit. | | | | home will just have to settle back and wait for the |
| Now move onto ski bindings. Those who hire skis | | | | football season! |
| usually benefit from an expert technician adjusting | | | | |