RLW

This is a picture of my son learning to slalom at Coble's ski school a couple years ago. He was 5 at the time. The instructor, Shelly, was on jump skis.

Agree with @Bulldog. I take hard enough falls in slalom. I don't need the additional speed and faceplants.

The Stealth is the newer version of the old Fogman system. It has a mechanical release that can be adjusted by turning a set screw. It has to be mounted very precisely to allow for adjustment.

I'm not sure, but you may be able to demo the Reflex at the Mapple Performance Center if you want to make a trip.

Sorry to hear about your injury. I have some experience as I have broken both my ankles skiing in the past and I do orthopedics for a living. Without knowing the specifics of your injury, I can tell you that ankle injuries may take up to a year before you reach maximal improvement depending on the severity. On a personal note, one of my ankles took about 9 months for the swelling and soreness to go away. If you feel like you are not progressing with rehab and still not able to balance or stress the ankle, it may be worthwhile to get a 2nd opinion evaluation from an orthopedic foot and ankle specialist.

 

As far as bindings go, there have been many threads on this site regarding injuries with many different binding systems. I don't think any systems are foolproof. As you have already figured out, the most important thing for any releasable system (lace-up or mechanical release) is to make sure it's not too tight. Good luck with your recovery.

Just wondering for those in colder climates if you bring your skis inside for the winter (versus garage or garage attic where skis subject to temperature extremes - freezing, etc). I've always put mine in a heated basement storage area, but garage attic would be easier. Anyone know if temps going above and below freezing regularly does any harm to the skis?

@ral. Glad to hear fusion was solid. Good luck with your recovery- should be much easier this time.

Count me in too. Great idea.

@Ilivetoski. Most likely its a sprain/strain which would typically improve in 4-6 weeks, especially at your age. It is a little odd though that you don't have some discomfort at the extremes of motion. It's possible you subluxed the shoulder and possible, though unlikely, that you tore your labrum. I agree that it's highly unlikely that you injured your rotator cuff, though a low grade partial tear can still allow good movement without much pain. A bone bruise is another possibility given your discomfort with impact; that would improve within 6-12 wks in most cases. I'd suggest that you give it a couple weeks and, if not better, have it evaluated by an orthopedic shoulder specialist. Good luck and hope you heal quickly!

As part of core and upper body training, I like seated rows. Important though to maintain good technique. I think rows are great for skiing. And I like running for cardiovascular fitness.

@ral. Don't want to suggest anything negative, but just wondering if the surgeon sent you for a CT to make sure the fusion is solid. Unfortunately, micromotion at the fusion site can sometimes lead to loosening. Hoping it's ok.

@Golfguy. When I broke both ankles, both stayed in the bindings.

Rob Waltrip - 43 yo, M3 skier. I skied recreationally with my family starting at 7 yo. I started competing after I saw signs for tryouts for water ski team at Baylor University. I then joined the water ski team and have been hooked since. I took some time off during medical school and residency but got back into it after my fellowship. I do orthopedics and specialize in sports medicine - mainly knee and shoulder. I met my wife in medical school and we have 3 boys - 11, 9, and 7. After 25 years, I finally went to my first Nationals this year. The best part of Nationals was going with the whole family - all 5 of us qualified and skied. Grant, my 7 yo, was the youngest skier at Nationals this year. I love watching the kids ski and am amazed how much they progress each year. I live just north of Pittsburgh and ski in east Ohio.

Double boots on single plate with mechanical release set too tight - broke both ankles

I feel for you. Had a similar injury a few years ago. It's hard to predict timing for recovery, since that's an unusual fracture pattern. I agree with nonoperative treatment unless bone doesn't heal and causes pain. You're right that the soft tissue injury will take time - could be 2-3 months, but hard to say. My ankle stayed swollen for 9 months, but I skied in about 3 mo.

@Horton - I'm with you. I typically am skiing my best in September. I just wish I could start where I left off in the Spring. Too bad that doesn't happen!

@skijay Glad the PRP helped your knee. I should also note that there is some medical literature support of PRP for patellar tendinopathy. The studies are from Europe and are not technically controlled randomized studies (best for scientific studies), but at least they look promising. There is also some early favorable data using PRP injections for knee arthritis. Again though, insurance typically doesn't cover it.

 

The "synthetic synovial fluid" noted by @gator1 is better known as viscosupplementation. Patients commonly refer to the injections as "chicken shots" or "rooster comb injections." Basically, it's a thick viscous medication made from the comb of roosters that seems to help a lot of patients with knee arthritis. It's usually given as either a single injection or a series of 3-5 injections, one a week. It tends to work longer than cortisone injections when it works. Insurance typically pays for this, especially for patients who only have limited relief with cortisone.

The use of PRP has some medical literature support for epicondylitis of the elbow (lateral specifically - "tennis elbow"). It is being used for many other conditions, but it remains largely experimental. In fact, some studies have shown detrimental effects on the rotator cuff, particularly when used during rotator cuff repair surgery. Since there is little scientific support, the insurance companies don't typically pay for it. It generally costs hundreds of dollars out of pocket.

Love my Bare baggy suit. Actually skied a PB in it yesterday.

@liquid d. Thanks! I think you are right about running out of speed at the apex. That makes sense. I wonder if decreasing my wing angle by 1 degree would help. I hate to blame the ski instead of the skier because I know it's more me.

@GOODESkier. Appreciate the comments. I've only run 35 a handful of times in practice and my best is 3 in a tournament. I haven't attempted -38 yet.

@Chef23. Thanks Mark. Shoulder is much better - I was lucky it wasn't worse and I only had to stop slalom for a month.

I am wondering if some ballers out there can give me some pointers to make my -35 consistent and maybe let me start thinking about -38. It's near the end of the season for me now, but maybe I can squeeze in a few more sets and get some pointers for the spring. I think I need to advance the ski more after coming around the ball, but I am having trouble doing that. Any help would be appreciated.

 

@Texas6 I came around 6 at 32 off and ski slid out scoring 1/4 buoy. My arm hyperabducted (out to side above head level), and the humeral head (ball of shoulder joint) impacted the undersurface of the acromion (bone above shoulder). It caused a slight impaction fracture of the top of the humeral head where one of the rotator cuff tendon attaches. The fracture was stable and I was lucky not to tear my rotator cuff. My injury was technically a fracture, but not the typical fracture that an orthopedic doc thinks of when hearing "proximal humerus fracture." Labral tears like you had are certainly much more common in my experience evaluating patients with shoulder injuries from skiing. We sure stress our shoulders a lot in this sport!

My most recent injury was a minor proximal humerus fracture (shoulder) sustained at the Eastern Regionals this year. I am curious if anyone else has fractured their shoulder skiing. Labral tears and rotator cuff tears are much more common.

I have fractured both ankles (same fall), fractured my proximal humerus (shoulder), strained my shoulder, sustained a concussion and sustained a severe arm contusion (arm through handle). I've been lucky and recovered fully from all the above. I have operated on several skiers with shoulder (labral tears) and knee injuries (meniscus) and one with a distal biceps tear (at elbow). I should also note that I wrote a chapter on water skiing injuries for a book years ago. Surprisingly, despite all the injuries noted in this thread, our sport is relatively safe. Like all sports though, injuries are likely underreported.