Snowboarding is one of the fastest growing winter sports in the world, with its appeal reaching mainly adolescent boys. Compared to alpine skiing, snowboarding is slightly more dangerous, as it is associated with more injury risk. Most accidents involve the wrist, but lower leg injuries also occur, particularly during jumps and other stunts. Ankle sprains, strains and fractures are likely if you are new to the sport, wear soft-shell boots or try difficult tricks.
Ankle Sprain or Strain
Your ankle has several ligaments and tendons that hold your bones in place and serve as attachments for muscles; these can be sprained or strained through trauma or overuse. Though your feet are strapped securely to the snowboard, falling suddenly or catching an edge quickly can turn your ankle, especially if you are wearing soft-shell boots. You can also strain muscles and tendons around your ankles simply through overuse. For beginners, the effect of your feet being held somewhat rigidly in place stresses the soft tissues of your ankle. Soreness and inflammation from overuse can result.
Snowboarder's Ankle
Snowboarder's ankle is a term for a fracture of your outer ankle, usually in the talus bone. The talus bone sits below your shin bone and above your heel bone. When you perform jumps and tricks, you can land incorrectly, placing a combination of compression and inversion stress on the bones in your foot. Before snowboarding became popular, this type of injury was rarely seen, so it can easily go undiagnosed. It may be confused with an ankle sprain. If you have continuous pain in the outside of your ankle, see a doctor or specialist to find out if it is a talus bone fracture.
Types of Boots
The type of boots you wear on the slopes can impact the safety of your ankles. Ski boots are stiff, preventing movement of your ankle and foot, which helps protect them during falls. Snowboard boots are not as rigid. Snowboarders can choose from a variety of boots: soft shell, hard shell and a combination of the two. Softer snowboarding boots allow your ankles free movement, which may appeal more to beginners who need to find the right balance on the board. Rigid boots increase your ankle safety, but also require more strength and balance to use.
Knowing Your Limits
As with all sports, pushing yourself beyond your technical abilities or physical endurance puts you at greater risk for injury. In a sport like snowboarding -- where jumps and tricks are part of the allure -- it is easy to hurt yourself trying a trick without proper instruction or background skill. Taking the time to learn the basics as well as learning from professionals can greatly reduce your chances of injuring yourself. Also, invest in the right gear; if you have injury-prone ankles, wear rigid boots and make sure your foot bindings are set properly.
