 Poster: A snowHead
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My family (wife, daughter, and myself) took a ski vacation to Taos for spring break this year. My wife had skied once before, but my daughter and I never had. I was turning 40 a couple of weeks after, so I figured now or never.
We booked group lessons for the first day, and sent the kid to ski school. We rented all the gear from the school, and was put into a decent group of people with an amazing instructor. He was incredibly patient, personable, and fun to be with (we were grateful after seeing how other instructors treated people).
I loved skiing from the start. I'm in pretty good shape, have always played many sports, and live an active lifestyle. I never felt fatigued or out of breath, and felt very comfortable on the skis all day. Literally the most fun I've had in years, maybe decades.
For the last run, we took the lift up to an "easy" green. My wife stayed down to get the kid from school, but i went up with my instructor and about half my group. We started down from the top, stopping at the flatter areas to rest and get pointers. After the third or fourth stop, I started the next leg in front. I followed what seemed to be the logical path, but ended up on a slope steeper than I expected.
I recognized that this was tougher, but I didn't panic. I traversed to the left side, then turned and started traversing right, then pop!
I rolled for what seemed like forever. When I finally stopped, I sat up and dug my right heel in so I wouldn't slide. My skis and sticks were scattered above and below me. Being a paramedic, i knew exactly what the pop meant. I pulled out my phone, called my wife, and told her I broke my leg. A bystander stopped and called ski patrol, and I was skied down in a basket.
The clinic took x-rays, which showed a spiral, comminuted distal fibula fracture, specifically a Weber type B. Luckily I play golf with a foot surgeon, who pinned and plated it 10 days later.
My question is: How did my fibula break so far down in my boot? Obviously the majority of my weight was on my left leg, but isn't the boot supposed to mitigate axial load? I guess it's possible my buckles weren't tight enough in those rentals, but this seems like a rare skiing injury.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Welcome to Snowheads, @Punchbox, and commiserations on your injury. I can't make any medical suggestions about your injury, but perhaps you could confirm whether the fracture caused you to fall, rather than vice versa, as your description implies ("pop" then roll). If that was the case then I wonder about osteoporosis. You sound too young for that to be the answer, but I had a Dexa scan after a "low trauma" pelvic fracture and was found to have some degree of bone thinning. But I'm a lot older than you.
The old style "ski blades", which had non-releasable bindings, used to be notorious for causing spiral fractures. I don't think ski boots can help much with the huge twisting loads which a long lever can put on the legs - but that usually happens in a fall. Ski bindings which release, and which are set to the right level, can help, but they're not a panacea as many a bust ACL can testify.
Glad you enjoyed the skiing, though!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Punchbox, Hi and welcome 
That's a strange one I think, if I understand you correctly. Are you saying that your leg broke while turning, and you fell as a result of the injury, rather than the usual falling over with the twists and impacts that entails causing the break?
We don't have green slopes in Austria, but I'm going to assume you were on the equivalent of the easiest blue slope I can think of, with limited steep sections. Also, that the snow had been groomed and so would not be deep or particularly lumpy or mogulled.
I am not a doctor, but I have broken a fibula (not while skiing), and interestingly I was allowed back on skis six weeks later (as soon as the cast came off) simply because ski boots are supportive and further damage was unlikely. Were your hire boots particularly poorly fitting? That may be a daft question – in my experience they are, but I only used them for one week and they were so bad I immediately purchased my own – but some people use them for years without major issues. Were your legs/feet moving around a lot inside the boots? Ideally, there should be no movement at all.
Good luck with the recovery. See a physio as soon as you are physically able and do the exercises they give you, and you should be fine.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Punchbox wrote: |
The clinic took x-rays, which showed a spiral, comminuted distal fibula fracture, specifically a Weber type B. Luckily I play golf with a foot surgeon, who pinned and plated it 10 days later.
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You've obviously had imaging and the repair done so this would rule out any more nefarious pathologies that might be the cause. Was no follow-up, query osteopenia, arranged following your post-op reviews. A spiral fracture like this in someone your age, at that location, in the described scenario would definitely prompt follow-up. I am guessing you are of relatively light build? Do you do any non-weight bearing endurance sports, these are often predisposing factors.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thank you all for the replies.
I distinctly remember being upright when I felt and heard the pop. I finished the turn, then moved my weight to the inside of my left ski to start the traverse when it broke.
I'm definitely not a "light" build. 6'3" and 230lbs, comparable build to an NFL tight end. I've never fractured any other bones (except a metacarpal in a fight). I generally steer away from endurance sports, mostly just softball and golf nowadays.
I will absolutely look into getting a bone density scan, even though it would be hard to imagine that's the problem. Given the rarity of a low ankle fracture while skiing, I guess anything is possible.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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My bet would be the boot fit poorly. So it didn’t do the “protection” bit as well as it should.
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Another factor could be the stiffness of the boots. Beginner boots tend to be softer, but you are a tall and pretty heavy person so soft boots would be unsuitable, even as a beginner. They could also have been worn out. If they fit badly and offered too little support, maybe that was a factor in the incident. Do you know what boots you had?
Perhaps consider buying yourself a properly fitted pair for your next trip.
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| Quote: |
Perhaps consider buying yourself a properly fitted pair for your next trip.
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Without question. I don't remember the brand. It was my first day ever skiing, so I would not have known if they were too loose or soft. I do know they were as tight as I could get them, and still had room to lean forward in the boots.
I was already planning my next trip the day after this happened, and looking up fitted boots. Loose boots seems like the most likely culprit for the break (combined with inexperience and natural thrill-seeking).
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I finished the turn, then moved my weight to the inside of my left ski to start the traverse when it broke.
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I'm still trying to get my head round the order in which things happened. You had just turned right, so the weight should have already been on the inside edge of the outside (left) ski as you turned. But perhaps it wasn't, and your very considerable weight sort of lurched onto that leg - and the loose boot allowed enough movement to break the bone. Ouch. It still seems odd to break the bone without falling though - will be interesting to see what the dexa scan reveals. My pelvic fracture was deemed a "low trauma fracture" though I was knocked flying in a collision and broke the bone on contact with some pretty hard-packed snow.
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