Snowboard Safety Injury Prevention and Treatment

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Snowboard Safety: Injury Prevention and Treatment
Author: Jeremy Hier

Snowboarding is one of the most popular snow sports and like any other physical activity, it is susceptible to injury. However if the right precautions are taken and the correct protective gear is worn, the body can be protected from any severe injury. Here are a few snowboarding safety tips dealing with common injuries, how to treat those injuries and what can be done to prevent them.

Common Snowboarding Injuries

Snowboarding injuries occur mostly in the upper extremities of the body and the ankle, the most common being sprains followed by fractures and contusions. Upper body injuries are common as snowboarders usually fall forwards or backwards. With a forward fall, snowboarders will protect themselves by stretching their arms outwards to stop themselves from falling. This leads to sprained wrists, wrist fractures, elbow, shoulder and head injuries. If a snowboarder falls backwards mild head as well as coccygeal injuries can occur such as bruising to the tailbone. When they fall snowboarders are advised to try and keep their arms tucked in and to roll with the fall therefore distributing the impact of the fall over a larger portion of their body. It is better to rather have body bruises than a fractured wrist!

Lower body injuries are rare and occur mostly in the ankle and knee area. This is due to the feet being strapped into the board and both feet pointing in the same direction, which localizes knee movement and prevents twisting. However, as the level of snowboarding expertise increases so does the risk of knee injury due to the frequency of aerial maneuvers and the use of hard boots. Aerial maneuvers also present more abdominal, chest, spine and head injuries. Ankle injuries are very common such as sprained and fractured ankles, also known as snowboarder's ankle. Contusions are common on the head, face, chest, abdomen and pelvis, lacerations on the head and face and dislocations in the upper extremities. Severe head and spinal injuries have occurred when snowboarders have lost control of their board at high speed.

It is important to note that a fracture of the lateral process of the talus (LPT) can masquerade as an ankle sprain and is frequently undetected on plain x - rays. Misdiagnosis of this fracture may lead to severe degeneration of the joint, disability and pain.

How to Tell if Your Injury is Serious

There are various symptoms that suggest what type of injury you have and what should be done to heal it. Swelling is a definite sign of an injury and shouldn't be ignored. It usually occurs around a joint and causes pain and reduced range of motion. Tenderness will be found if you press the injured body part with your finger. Weakness in the injured area can occur as well as numbing and tingling, which are often related to nerve compression and should never be ignored as they may be signaling a serious injury.

How to Treat Any Sprain

If you have sprained your wrist, ankle or knee RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Exercise) is the safest and easiest way for anyone to heal an injury. It is important to follow these steps, as swelling can cause pain and loss of motion which will limit the use of the muscle, resulting in the weakening, shortening and delayed healing of the injured limb. After following RICE it is advisable to visit a physician for a proper diagnosis of the injury.

Rest

You should rest the sprained limb for 24 – 48 hours post injury.

Ice

Ice should be used to reduce swelling and pain, and should not be applied for more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time. If you do not have ice on hand, you can use anything frozen such as a bag of frozen peas. Never apply heat to an injury as this will increase swelling!

Compression

There are various options for compression:

Elasticated tubular bandage (Tubigrip) which can be strapped either single or doubled over. This should not be worn too tight as it may lead to thrombosis.

Crepe bandage

Elastoplast strapping

Elevation

Elevate the sprained limb horizontally to decrease swelling and discomfort.

Exercise

As soon as symptoms allow gently exercise the injured limb.

Prevention and Protection

Snowboarding injuries can be prevented by following a number of safety precautions. A fitness programme is essential to train the body for the maneuverability needed for snowboarding. Taking a few snowboarding lessons and having a good instructor helps to minimize the number of injuries that occur, teaches you how to snowboard effectively and what gear must be worn for your safety. The most important of injury prevention is wearing the right protective equipment. There are different types of gear that are specifically designed to protect certain areas of the body.

Helmets

Helmets are very important in preventing head injury as it is common for snowboarders to fall and injure their heads. There are different types of helmets from lightweight to heavyweight, with venting or no venting, with or without ear flaps, as well as different styles. It is important to choose a helmet that fits you snuggly, is comfortable and not too heavy.

Boots

There are three kinds of snowboarding boots that differ in the support they give to the ankle and foot. Soft boots are used by most snowboarders and offer sufficient stability and flexibility. Hard boots are usually worn by racers and provide ample ankle support. Hybrid boots have the support of hard boots with the comfort and maneuverability of soft boots. It is important to choose the right footwear for the particular snowboarding activity that you will undertake, i.e. beginner, racer, etc. as each of these boots place the body under different injury risks. Soft boots present twice the risk of ankle injury compared to hard boots due to their moderate ankle support, however hard boots present twice the risk of knee injury than soft boots because they offer less movement. Hiking boots must never be used as they can lead to serious injury. It is important to note that boots and bindings must be bought together as the choice of boots depends on what type of bindings you want to use such as step in bindings or strap bindings.

Wrist and Elbow guards

Wrist guards help support the wrist and are available in different styles for over and inside the glove as well as integrated into the glove. Wrist guards used for inline skating and skateboarding can also be used for snowboarding. Elbow guards help to protect the elbows from bruising and fractures.

Knee and tailbone pads

Knee pads help to protect the knees from bruising, and should be worn if you have weak knee caps. Tailbone pads help to protect the tailbone and should be worn with beginners, as they frequently fall backwards.

Padded jackets and pants

Padded jackets and pants help to prevent other parts of the body from bruising.

Goggles

Goggles help to keep the snow and wind out of your eyes. They also protect the eyes from the harmful rays of the sun which are also reflected by the snow. If you are wearing a helmet and goggles make sure that the goggles fit comfortably with the helmet.

Follow these snowboard safety tips and you will have the ultimate pain free snowboarding experience!

Copyright © Jeremy Hier

PERMISSIONS TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in its entirety free of charge, electronically or in print, provided it appears with the included copyright and author's resource box with live website link.

Jeremy Hier is the Business Manager and Webmaster of http://www.snowboard-guide.com " target=_blank>How to snowboard

Sylvia Kontogeorgis is a work from home freelance journalist for http://www.snowboard-guide.com/ride-snowboards.html " riding snowboard guide and an avid snowboarding fan, who enjoys researching all aspects of snowboard safety from injuries to prevention, as well as other topics such as http://www.snowboard-guide.com/snowboard-goggles.html " target=_blank>snowboard goggles

To learn more about choosing the best snowboard equipment for you go to http://www.snowboard-guide.com/snowboarding-boots.html " target=_blank>snowboarding boots

...

Snowboard Safety Injury Prevention and Treatment

Snowboarding
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Snowboard Safety: Injury Prevention and Treatment
Author: Jeremy Hier

Snowboarding is one of the most popular snow sports and like any other physical activity, it is susceptible to injury. However if the right precautions are taken and the correct protective gear is worn, the body can be protected from any severe injury. Here are a few snowboarding safety tips dealing with common injuries, how to treat those injuries and what can be done to prevent them.

Common Snowboarding Injuries

Snowboarding injuries occur mostly in the upper extremities of the body and the ankle, the most common being sprains followed by fractures and contusions. Upper body injuries are common as snowboarders usually fall forwards or backwards. With a forward fall, snowboarders will protect themselves by stretching their arms outwards to stop themselves from falling. This leads to sprained wrists, wrist fractures, elbow, shoulder and head injuries. If a snowboarder falls backwards mild head as well as coccygeal injuries can occur such as bruising to the tailbone. When they fall snowboarders are advised to try and keep their arms tucked in and to roll with the fall therefore distributing the impact of the fall over a larger portion of their body. It is better to rather have body bruises than a fractured wrist!

Lower body injuries are rare and occur mostly in the ankle and knee area. This is due to the feet being strapped into the board and both feet pointing in the same direction, which localizes knee movement and prevents twisting. However, as the level of snowboarding expertise increases so does the risk of knee injury due to the frequency of aerial maneuvers and the use of hard boots. Aerial maneuvers also present more abdominal, chest, spine and head injuries. Ankle injuries are very common such as sprained and fractured ankles, also known as snowboarder's ankle. Contusions are common on the head, face, chest, abdomen and pelvis, lacerations on the head and face and dislocations in the upper extremities. Severe head and spinal injuries have occurred when snowboarders have lost control of their board at high speed.

It is important to note that a fracture of the lateral process of the talus (LPT) can masquerade as an ankle sprain and is frequently undetected on plain x - rays. Misdiagnosis of this fracture may lead to severe degeneration of the joint, disability and pain.

How to Tell if Your Injury is Serious

There are various symptoms that suggest what type of injury you have and what should be done to heal it. Swelling is a definite sign of an injury and shouldn't be ignored. It usually occurs around a joint and causes pain and reduced range of motion. Tenderness will be found if you press the injured body part with your finger. Weakness in the injured area can occur as well as numbing and tingling, which are often related to nerve compression and should never be ignored as they may be signaling a serious injury.

How to Treat Any Sprain

If you have sprained your wrist, ankle or knee RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Exercise) is the safest and easiest way for anyone to heal an injury. It is important to follow these steps, as swelling can cause pain and loss of motion which will limit the use of the muscle, resulting in the weakening, shortening and delayed healing of the injured limb. After following RICE it is advisable to visit a physician for a proper diagnosis of the injury.

Rest

You should rest the sprained limb for 24 – 48 hours post injury.

Ice

Ice should be used to reduce swelling and pain, and should not be applied for more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time. If you do not have ice on hand, you can use anything frozen such as a bag of frozen peas. Never apply heat to an injury as this will increase swelling!

Compression

There are various options for compression:

Elasticated tubular bandage (Tubigrip) which can be strapped either single or doubled over. This should not be worn too tight as it may lead to thrombosis.

Crepe bandage

Elastoplast strapping

Elevation

Elevate the sprained limb horizontally to decrease swelling and discomfort.

Exercise

As soon as symptoms allow gently exercise the injured limb.

Prevention and Protection

Snowboarding injuries can be prevented by following a number of safety precautions. A fitness programme is essential to train the body for the maneuverability needed for snowboarding. Taking a few snowboarding lessons and having a good instructor helps to minimize the number of injuries that occur, teaches you how to snowboard effectively and what gear must be worn for your safety. The most important of injury prevention is wearing the right protective equipment. There are different types of gear that are specifically designed to protect certain areas of the body.

Helmets

Helmets are very important in preventing head injury as it is common for snowboarders to fall and injure their heads. There are different types of helmets from lightweight to heavyweight, with venting or no venting, with or without ear flaps, as well as different styles. It is important to choose a helmet that fits you snuggly, is comfortable and not too heavy.

Boots

There are three kinds of snowboarding boots that differ in the support they give to the ankle and foot. Soft boots are used by most snowboarders and offer sufficient stability and flexibility. Hard boots are usually worn by racers and provide ample ankle support. Hybrid boots have the support of hard boots with the comfort and maneuverability of soft boots. It is important to choose the right footwear for the particular snowboarding activity that you will undertake, i.e. beginner, racer, etc. as each of these boots place the body under different injury risks. Soft boots present twice the risk of ankle injury compared to hard boots due to their moderate ankle support, however hard boots present twice the risk of knee injury than soft boots because they offer less movement. Hiking boots must never be used as they can lead to serious injury. It is important to note that boots and bindings must be bought together as the choice of boots depends on what type of bindings you want to use such as step in bindings or strap bindings.

Wrist and Elbow guards

Wrist guards help support the wrist and are available in different styles for over and inside the glove as well as integrated into the glove. Wrist guards used for inline skating and skateboarding can also be used for snowboarding. Elbow guards help to protect the elbows from bruising and fractures.

Knee and tailbone pads

Knee pads help to protect the knees from bruising, and should be worn if you have weak knee caps. Tailbone pads help to protect the tailbone and should be worn with beginners, as they frequently fall backwards.

Padded jackets and pants

Padded jackets and pants help to prevent other parts of the body from bruising.

Goggles

Goggles help to keep the snow and wind out of your eyes. They also protect the eyes from the harmful rays of the sun which are also reflected by the snow. If you are wearing a helmet and goggles make sure that the goggles fit comfortably with the helmet.

Follow these snowboard safety tips and you will have the ultimate pain free snowboarding experience!

Copyright © Jeremy Hier

PERMISSIONS TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in its entirety free of charge, electronically or in print, provided it appears with the included copyright and author's resource box with live website link.

Jeremy Hier is the Business Manager and Webmaster of http://www.snowboard-guide.com " target=_blank>How to snowboard

Sylvia Kontogeorgis is a work from home freelance journalist for http://www.snowboard-guide.com/ride-snowboards.html " riding snowboard guide and an avid snowboarding fan, who enjoys researching all aspects of snowboard safety from injuries to prevention, as well as other topics such as http://www.snowboard-guide.com/snowboard-goggles.html " target=_blank>snowboard goggles

To learn more about choosing the best snowboard equipment for you go to http://www.snowboard-guide.com/snowboarding-boots.html " target=_blank>snowboarding boots

...

Snowboard Girls Take Your Skills To The Next Level

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Snowboard Girls Take Your Skills To The Next Level At Girls-Only Camps
Author: Jeremy Hier
Women who love to snowboard are commonly called snowboard girls. They love snowboarding freestyle, freeride, and freecarve. A great way for you snowboard girls to improve your skills quickly and have alot of fun is to go to a girls-only snowboard camp.

All-girl snowboard camps provide snowboard girls the perfect environment to improve their skills and take their skills to the next level and beyond. In Timberline, Oregon their is an all-girls camp called Progressive Ski and Snowboard Camps.

This is a girls-only park and pipe camp. The newest coach is Hannah Epps who is joined by veteran coaches Sarah Burke, Emily Bonnett, Denise Jaworsky, Jen Critchton, and Jesse Bennie. They will be teaching the ski and snowboard girls.

At the camp you'll be able to improve your halfpipe, rail and jump skills with the help of some of the best female coaches in the sport. Ski and snowboard girls can progress in the park wether you are dropping into the halfpipe for the first time or are looking to add another trick to your already amazing slopestyle run.

Depending on your needs their are a variety of packages to choose from. An all-inclusive package covers meals, lift tickets, coaching and accomodations. Ski and snowboard girls can get more information at progressionskicamps.com.

Before you go off to camp make sure you have all the necessary snowboard equipment such as snowboard, boots and bindings, and outerwear.

About The Author

Jeremy is an avid snowboarding fan and writer. To find out which snowboard is best for you go to: http://www.snowboard-guide.com/ride-snowboards.html " target=new>http://www.snowboard-guide.com/ride-snowboards.html . ...

Optical illusions when snowboarding

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Optical illusions when snowboarding
Author: Jakob Jelling
While Shifties are a snowboarding trick they are also an optical illusion. When doing a Shifty you are creating the illusion of doing a 180-degree turn in the air and reversing it before you land. Of course since it is an optical illusion you do not really turn 180-degrees.

Twisting your body in opposite directions once you are in the air creates this optical illusion. While this can take a little bit to get used to it isn't as hard as it sounds. As with all aerial tricks the key to this is timing.

The first step is to become airborne. This can be done by via an Ollie, a ramp or whatever else you happen across that will get you off the ground. Ideally you should launch up in to the air more than you want to move forward. Going up more than forward will improve the look of your trick and provide you with more time to set it up and recover from it.

Once you have left the ground you can begin to twist the upper and lower portions of your body in opposite directions. The technique for twisting your lower body is much the same as doing a 180. Push your forward foot to the side that you wish it to spin while keeping your rear foot basically planted so as to act as a virtual pivot point. An important thing to bear in mind is to not twist your hips.

Twisting your upper body may be a little easier. The easiest way to twist is to simply point your head the way you want your body to turn and the rest of you will naturally follow. Once again be careful not to twist your hips, as they are the anchor points for your body. If you do twist your hips you may find that you turn too far and thus have trouble giving the impression of having turned 180-degrees or landing your trick smoothly.

If you time everything correctly you will complete the maneuver just as your reach the peak hieght of your air. At this point it is time to start returning to your normal position and preparing for the landing. The hardest thing to realign is your feet. Make sure you focus on twisting them back to normal even before you start to untwist your upper body. As you approach the ground make sure that you are looking where you want to go, that your snowboard is straight and your knees are slightly bent to absorb the impact.

As you can see a Shifty is an interesting optical illusion that you can easily learn to do. While challenging yourself is a great way to improve your skills quickly, begin learning this one by turning only 45-degrees the first few times. This will help you avoid an uncomfortable landing that can put an end do your day of snowboarding.

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.snowboardinghelp.com. Please visit his website to discover the world of snowboarding!

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Lindsey Jacobellis The End Of Snowboarding Innoce

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Lindsey Jacobellis: The End Of Snowboarding Innocence
Author: Terry McDermott
Lindsey Jacobellis flew into the frigid Italian atmosphere as a celebrated and admired snowboarding superstar but, after an adrenalin-fueled grab at her board in mid-flight, she returned to earth in a meteoric flameout destined to make her a lock for membership in the sports Bonehead Hall of Fame. But her gaffe also represents a watershed moment for a sport once typified by such actions.

Snowboarding is a serious sport populated by serious athletes. Participants in competitions throughout the world work and train and sacrifice to race and win and be recognized as the best in their sport. But the ascension of snowboarding from a wild, rebellious and carefree winter activity to a corporately-sponsored, mainstream, Olympic-level competition has resulted in attitudes and expectations that are radically divergent from the once-radical personality that dominated the sport.

Lindsey Jacobellis began snowboarding in rural Roxbury, CT when she was 10-years old. Coached by her older brother, Ben, Lindsey was forced to compete against boys since there was no girls' division for the sport. This co-ed racing helped her develop a highly competitive spirit. Leading up to the Olympics she trained with the American men since she is the only U.S. woman competing in snowboard cross. She is, quite simply, the best women's snowboard cross racer in the world. But, as a result of her fall in the Italian Alps, she will not be an Olympic champion in 2006.

What Lindsey Jacobellis will be, to many, is a showboating hot dog. She will be derided for being cocky, over-confidant and foolish. One television reporter stated that Lindsey had left a "blemish on the sport of snowboarding." Another said that the "nation's hope for a gold medal" in this event rested "solely on her shoulders." Her agent is probably on suicide watch after seeing his dreams of gold medal endorsement deals get swept away in an avalanche of shattered dreams.

And how does Lindsey feel about all of this? "I went for the jump because I was having fun," she said. "Snowboarding is fun, and I wanted to share that with the crowd. ... I was caught up in the moment and forgot that I had to race."

Poor Lindsey. Doesn't she realize that competing at this level is not supposed to be fun? That getting "caught up in the moment" was a reckless, selfish and careless demonstration of naïve exuberance? How could Lindsey have been so irresponsible that she would have allowed the thrill of flying down a frosty hill, free, fast and in first-place by a snowboarding mile, to be manifested in a flamboyant maneuver for which snowboarders used to be hailed?

"Used to be…" That is the operative phrase at the moment. Snowboarding has come of age. Millions are watching world-class athletes compete for gold, silver and bronze. Fame and fortune await the winners. Only memories of a temporary place on the world stage await the rest. But Lindsey Jacobellis will forever straddle the chasm between Olympic winners and Olympic losers. She now carries the weight of Olympic silver around her neck and the stigma of Olympic failure on her competitive resume.

By her self-inflicted disaster, Lindsey Jacobellis has elevated snowboarding to a premier winter sport. No longer will the freewheeling, high-flying, "hey dude, watch this," X Game-style mentality apply to competitive snowboarding. It's about winning and money and national honor and endorsements. Getting ramped up and having fun are no longer permissible attitudes for the sport.

Dude, this is serious!

Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com

J. Terrence (Terry) McDermott does not ski nor can he snowboard. He does, however, manage a website that offers tons of ski and snowboard equipment at www.snowboardsandskis.com SnowboardsandSkis.com . If he did snowboard, he hopes that he would share the same healthy perspective that Lindsey Jacobellis has so far demonstrated.

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