Christmas 2006

Winter Sports

The holiday season also signals the beginning of the winter sports season. Which means, whether you are playing or competing, winter sports injuries are about to begin. Winter sports injuries are often the result of poor fitness or a lack of sport specific conditioning. These injuries usually occur when you are tired from over-exertion or from lack conditioning. It may be too late for this year, but a good pre-season training program will help make the season more enjoyable and prevent exercise-related injuries. We also recommend the following general safety suggestion for winter sports:

• Never participate in winter sports alone, use the buddy system.
• Make sure that your clothing and sporting equipment (including shoes and skis) fit you correctly. Wrongly adjusted skis, for example, can put extra strain on your knee and ankle joints, which makes strains and sprains more likely.
• Be aware that you are exposed to UV radiation even on cold and cloudy days. Hey, sun block isn't only for the beach.
• Drink plenty of water before, during and after sports.
• Don't push yourself until you are exhausted. Rest at regular intervals to avoid fatigue-related injuries.