Recognizing Knee Ligament Tears on the Slopes

A knee ligament tear also goes by another, more common name: a knee sprain. Sprains can vary in severity depending on how much of the ligament is damaged:

• A mild sprain occurs when you overstretch the ligament, leading to tiny tears in the tissue. You’ll experience some tenderness and discomfort.
• A moderate sprain occurs when you partially tear the ligament, leading to pain and visible swelling.
• A severe sprain occurs when the ligament completely ruptures, leading to pain, significant swelling, and instability in your knee joint.
• ACL tears are the most common type of knee sprain among skiers. These injuries often result from abrupt pivoting, turning, or stopping–all common movements in both skiing and snowboarding. In addition to the symptoms above, you might hear an audible pop during your injury.
• MCL tears aren’t quite as common, but they still happen. This type of knee sprain generally occurs during a fall, a result of one leg falling on top of another. In fact, ski-related falls can also lead to other non-knee-related injuries, such as wrist fractures, shoulder injuries, or even head injuries.

How Physical Therapy Helps Resolve Skiing Injuries 

Because most skiing injuries are orthopedic, physical therapy generally plays a role in rehabilitating them. Depending on the nature of your injury and its severity, you may have to undergo surgery–but in many cases, physical therapy alone is enough to get you back in skiing shape.

We’ll start with a comprehensive evaluation to help us better understand your rehabilitation needs, including running several movement screens to test your range of motion, strength, and balance. We’ll also talk to you about your injury and symptoms.

From there, we’ll develop a customized treatment plan to get you back to the activities you love. While each plan is different, they generally follow this approach:

• Manage pain and work on restoring mobility through manual therapy techniques and targeted stretches
• Restore strength in the muscles surrounding your knee to ensure you’re stabilizing and supporting your joint
• Work on any functional movements you might struggle with (such as improving balance)
• Provide a return-to-activity schedule so you can safely return to the activities that matter most

The Best Treatment for Skiing Injuries? Prevention! 

Of course, one of the best ways to address a skiing injury is to prevent one from occurring in the first place, and First Colony Aquatic and Rehabilitation Center & Sports Therapy Center can help you with that, too. In fact, if you’re headed out to ski for the first time (or after a long time away), we suggest you visit us for a ski-focused checkup. 

First, we’ll run a detailed assessment to pinpoint muscular weaknesses or imbalances, faulty biomechanics, or other issues that might put you at a higher risk of an injury on the slopes–including things you might not have considered!

Next, we’ll provide a tailored exercise program that addresses these concerns and helps you make the most of your vacation.

Finally, we can offer expert tips and tricks to keep you as safe as possible while you’re on the slopes, such as ensuring your equipment fits correctly and offering suggestions about which ski trails would be a good fit for your abilities.