There are many muscular imbalances that skiers can develop, but I’d like to discuss two:
- Leg dominance (inter-limb differences)
- Quadriceps dominance
Let’s chat first about leg dominance. For most skiers, there is a way a ski turn feels more confident and strong. Think about how many turns are executed in a day of skiing. If thousands of times over, one leg is bearing more of the load – imagine what will happen after years of skiing.
In a study published by, Int J Environ Res Public Health, it was found that having more nerve response and coordination in one leg, was considered a potential cause of lower limb injuries in skiers (1).
This points to the overwhelming importance of single legged exercising both in off seasons, and in between ski days.
The second common muscular imbalance that I see in skiers, is a quadricep dominance.
Whenever we lift a leg in front of us or bend at the knees, we call this flexion. In skiing, we are in constant flexion, which contracts the quadriceps and muscles of the front of the hip. Muscles rely on being in a pair, and in the case of the quadriceps – the hamstrings are its “agonist-antagonist” pair. If the quads are too strong to balance out the hamstrings, we call this quad dominance.
Quad dominance can lead to hip and lower back pain quite easily, as well as chronic knee pain.
The antitode here is to do strength training for the hamstrings, and make sure to roll out those quadriceps with a tennis ball or foam roller.
We have many treatment options for skiers with muscular imbalances, with Acupuncture and Osteopathy. Questions? Comments? We’d love to hear from you!
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6765833/#
Written by Monica Ander, RTCMP, R.Ac, D.omp in Nelson, BC
Osteopathy and Acupuncture by Monica Ander in Nelson BC 