Expert alpine skiers boast a cooperative relationship with the forces of gravity. They let gravity pull them down the hill, while subtle ankle and leg movements control the direction of their ski turns. Efficient technique minimizes ski-related knee pain, but inadequate equipment, alignment or joint-damaging falls mild to severe pain. Determining the cause of ski-related knee pain is the first step to finding a remedy.
Injuries
Pain resulting from a fall requires immediate medical diagnosis and treatment. A loud popping sound, knee buckling when you try to stand and swelling may indicate an anterior cruciate ligament or ACL tear, which might require surgical intervention. Pain limited to the medial knee may indicate a medial collateral ligament or MCL strain. These injuries often heal on their own. Your doctor will prescribe RICE, or rest, ice, compression and elevation. Ice the knee for 20 minutes, about three times a day, and place a pillow under your foot to keep the leg elevated. Wrap a bandage around the knee to keep it compressed and stable.
Technique
Shaped skis, developed in the 1990s, are shorter, lighter and curvier than their long and heavy ancestors. Their hourglass figure facilitates easy turn initiation, which eliminates the need for excessive muscle movements. The modern alpine ski turn initiates by tipping one foot onto its little toe, and the other onto its big toe. The legs flex and extend with easy, relaxed movements. People coming from a resistance training background often use exaggerated flexion and extension leg movements when they first learn to ski, creating excess strain on the knee joints. Lessons with a certified instructor helps you improve technique and alleviate knee pain.
Stance
Your ski stance has a direct relationship with your technique. A proper stance allows you to absorb the impact of bumpy terrain, thereby protecting your knee joints from pain and injury. A proper ski stance is not fixed and requires adjustment according to the terrain. While the corrects stance differs according to body type and terrain, in general your feet stay about hip width apart, your knees relaxed and your weight distributed so that your shins stay in close contact with the boot tongue. Hamstring and quadriceps muscle imbalances, as well as fear of going downhill, often places skier in a stance that instructors call the backseat position, which keeps your legs in a locked alignment and over stretches your knee joints. This base area exercise gives you stance feedback. Stand on flat ground with your knees flexed and your shins against the boot tongue. Try to perform a small jump. If you can't, you probably place too much weight in the back of your boot, thereby stressing your knee joints.
Equipment
Skis that are too long or too stiff for your typical terrain or proficiency level, as well as improper boot fit, wreak havoc on ski technique and cause over-working knee joints. A professional ski boot fitter aligns your boots and installs foot beds, which help you maintain proper ski stance, and provide pain-free skiing. When selecting skis, patronize shops known for their salesperson's expertise. Novices and low intermediates may require a more flexible ski. Choosing an overly stiff ski forces you to jerk the ski around and causes knee pain.
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