How long did it take?

[ntx]

How long did it take after a major injury to get your confidence back? My son jacked his ankle pretty bad last Oct. He was a pretty decent overall skier and did it on a slalom ski. Since then he is back to jumping and tricking at his former level. He is about two full passes behind in slalom and is reluctant to put his ski on. I am pretty sure 90 percent of it is mental but how have others handled it. This was his first major injury in his life. What can I do to help him thru it?

[Rpc29]

@ntx is he using the same binding system as before? After 2 ankle breaks using a Reflex I switched over to Strada boots and that helped with my confidence. Something about using the same thing that broke me messed with my head quite a bit.

 

 

[ntx]

@Rpc29‌ No. He had switched to a new binding system about six weeks prior to the injury. (He got hurt in bungee type lace up boots) Since then he is back on what he was on for three years prior to the injury.

[Andre]

@Rpc29‌

What kind of fall broke your ankle with Reflex? Reflex front only?

[Rpc29]

@andre I was on a Reflex and RTP. Weird crushing fall at the buoy, the shell allowed my ankle to flex all the way forward before it releasted. Medial malleolus fracture, which then happened again due to poor healing the following summer so I had to get it surgically repaired.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

One of the more important things is to rehab the injury to the 100% point, then keep rehab/crosstraining so it's stronger and more resistant than before. Bullet proof teenagers are in particular need of the cross training specifically for injury resistance.

 

On the mental side, it boils down to confidence in the equipment and letting go of the fear of re-injury (that's where the above is critical).

 

While it is counterintuitive, there have been a number of studies where if the athlete is cautious and compensating for an injury, he is actually more likely to re-injure than if he gives it 100%.

[gator1]

@ntx‌ I've been donating gatormods to ballers who have jacked ankles. Let me know if you want one to help your boy get his mojo back.

 

@MattP‌ A while ago you asked me for proof a reflex won't work in a crushing OTF. @Rpc29‌ is the answer. Since in a crushing OTF OB4 releases in the same manner (sensing heel lift and only releasing when that lift is higher then a set point), OB4 has the same issue.

 

OB4 is a little better than reflex since a forward shear caused by a less than perfect crushing OTF will help decrease the heel lift required to release. So it will take a more perfect crushing fall to hurt you.

 

The above is my opinion, based on simple mechanics. Since the boys at OB4 went silent when I asked them to explain how their binding works in a crushing OTF fall, I'm assuming my opinion is correct.

[jwroblew]

@gator1 isn't the Reflex with the white cuff and heel strap supposed to fix this type of issue?

[Rpc29]

@gator1‌ and @jwroblew‌ , I'm pretty confident I would have been fine in a reflex with the white cuff.