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September, 2002-- There has been much discussion on the Telemark
Talk Forum in recent years concerning the nature of telemark
knee injuries and the relative merits of releasable freeheel
bindings. At first glance it would seem to be a no brainer: alpine
skiers have been using continuously refined release bindings
for years, and everyone knows that alpine skiing has become safer
as a result. Wouldn't it follow that reliable freeheel release
bindings would do the same for telemark skiing?
The answer is that indeed they might, but
more research is needed to determine the extent to which releasables
can contribute to a reduced rate of knee injuries among freeheel
skiers. Here's why:
One would also reasonably expect
medial collateral ligament injuries to be rare among freeheel
skiers, and by most accounts they are. In this kind of fall having
the heel free is a big advantage. Boots and bindings that allow
the foot to twist some during a crash will help too.
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By far the most common knee injury in
alpine (some reports put it as high as 30% of total injuries
of all types) is the medial collateral ligament sprain. The injury
mechanism is usually a forward fall by beginners in a snowplow.
A forward fall after crossing ones tips is also a pretty efficient
way to experience this kind of injury. As one would expect, the
victim of this most common knee problem is almost always a beginner
or low intermediate, usually with poorly maintained and adjusted
bindings (especially the heel piece). |
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is
still weight on the foot when there is not, tries to pull himself
back up. With only the ski tail to brace against, this move puts
even more injury causing strain onto the knee. The boot top levers
the tibia forward, further straining, tearing or rupturing the
ACL.
So far we haven't seen any bindings,
alpine or freeheel, that have successfully demonstrated an ability
to consistently release before an ACL injury can occur. All of
the alpine binding innovations and refinements over the past 25
years have not reduced the number of ACL injuries, in fact the
rate of this type of injury has been rising steadily.
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The second most common skiing knee injury
is the anterior cruciate ligament strain or tear. ACL problems
account for 10 to 15% of all injuries at the resorts. Extensive
video analysis of thousands of ACL mishaps reveals that, by far,
the most common mechanism of injury is a backwards twisting fall
where the skier's own weight and the tail of the ski act in conjunction
with the back of the boot to lever a dangerous combination of
forces onto the knee joint. Often the situation is exacerbated
by the skier who, thinking there |
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Line's new "Twin Pivot" alpine
binding, hitting the market this year, is the first to promise
an increase in knee safety during both twisting forward falls
that stress the medial collateral ligament and the backwards,
twisting, ACL-tearing fall. Looking at the literature, Line's
approach does indeed look promising.
The third most common skiing knee problem
is an injury to the meniscus, accounting for around 5% of all
injuries while skiing. Meniscal damage most often occurs during
big, forward-twisting crashes, usually after catching an edge.
In this type of fall it's commonly the lateral meniscus of the
weight bearing knee that gets tweaked.
Rotational meniscal injuries might be far
more common in alpine if it were not for the many improvements
in fixed-heel release bindings. One need only look at the declining
statistics for tib/fib and spiral leg fractures to see that forward
rotational stress type injuries have been reduced as alpine bindings
have improved. This type of injury may also be the most
preventable kind of knee injury though the use of releasable
freeheel bindings. And that brings us to the point of this article:
more research is needed in the area of releasable tele bindings
and the prevention or reduction of knee injuries.
In this rapidly evolving sport, gear, technique
and the level of aggression have changed considerably in recent
years. To definitively determine the usefulness of releasable
freeheel bindings a scientific study addressing
knee injuries sustained by tele skiers using modern plastic boots,
the latest generation of bindings, and wide shaped skis would
be extremely useful.
Such a study would have many benefits to
both the freeheel skiers themselves and the tele industry as
a whole. It's no secret that a major obstacle to converting more
riders to telemark is that the gear is often viewed as antiquated
and unsafe. Parents are reluctant to gear-up their kids for freeheel
skiing on bindings that don't appear to be as safe as alpine
bindings. Many of us suspect that this is a false perception,
even in the case of non-releasable freeheel bindings, but complete
data to back up that idea is simply not available.
A thorough and scientifically valid research
study into the nature, causes and prevention of freeheel skiing
knee injuries could serve to aid in the development of telemark
bindings that help reduce the rate of injury. Or perhaps such
a study would show that the nature of freeheel skiing i such
that release bindings aren't necessary and that tele is as safe
or safer than the other snowsport disciplines. The point is that
finding out would be one more step we could take to move the
sport forward and establish telemark skiing as a progressive
and serious alternative ride in the world of snow sports.
So the question is this: who's going to
step up and do the heavy lifting? Who is going to financially
support those who would commit the time and effort necessary
to conduct such a study? Will it be one of the trade groups?
Perhaps a consortium of manufacturers like the one currently
working on a new telemark norm? Maybe a national club such as
the United States Telemark Skiing Association? Or is there some
other way to get the ball rolling? How can we take this interest
in the subject, so often expressed on the Telemark Talk Forum,
and leverage it into a meaningful study of long-lasting benefit
to freeheel skiers and the telemark industry worldwide?
For more information on steps you can take
to reduce the possibility of skiing knee injuries visit the following
sites:
Ski-Injury.com
SkiHealth.com
Bob's ACL WWWBoard
& this Specific
Discussion
Knee-Friendly Advice from vermontskisafety.com
Illustrations courtesy LINE SKIS |