 Poster: A snowHead
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Skiing last new year, I managed to land at full speed against a slab of rock and suffered a collapsed lower 3 vertebra. I'm recovered now and have been surfing and kitesurfing as normal for around 4 months now. I went skiing again for the first time in an indoor snowdome last week and got the impression that I'm not going to be able to ski quite like I used too as my back was tightening up a little even on such an easy slope. I have always snowboarded as much as I have skiied and I wondered whether anyone had any idea if boarding would be better long term?
I know little about the physiological side of things but I'm thinking that skiing is perhaps more intense on joints in terms of absorbing regular impact whilst snowboarding relies more on flow? I realise that I'm not going to do anything extreme now but was hoping to get into snowkiting and ride some mellow powderfields at least. Any help appreciated.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have no idea about your query but ouch! Glad you've recovered from it OK - sort of
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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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dynamite, OUCH !!!
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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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Ouch is right. Couldn't walk properly for around 4 weeks, another 4 weeks I was back in work although not the ideal way to have a 2 month holiday!
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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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It will take time to adjust so give it a few more snowdome sessions and see if it improves. You were probably using muscles you've not used much since your injury.
My back is nowhere near as bad as 3 collapsed vertebra but I've had partial laminectomy for a prolapsed disc. Stuff was generally hard and very stiff at first and even 12 to 18 months later, although I could pretty much do anything, I'd know if I'd overdone something. I still do to an extent. I board and, touch wood, have not had problems with it since.
What are you most experienced in - skiing or boarding ? Which is your heart in ? Are you prepared to risk further injury ? Are you prepared to work on core strength to minimise risk ?
Obvisouly with boarding you run the risk of (at some point) stacking it over your heel edge or losing your heel edge on a hard steep slope and landing hard on you backside/coxyx, which will run a shock straight up your spine. I suspect the risk of a direct back bottom impact is less with skiing (but I don't ski so I don't know) but how does your back stand up to all the twisting ?
I guess there is no answer, you need to weigh up what matters to you and how your back stands up to different activities and see if exercising helps.
Personally, if I were you I'd try a few more snow dome sessions (on both) and see if things improve.
Good luck !
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It's been 8 months since the accident and I've surfed solidly since March including 6 weeks everyday during my holidays as a teacher, 1 week intensive gymnastics training course and a weeks full on kitesurfing. The only time I really felt pain in that time was kitesurfing when I was attached to the kite coming out of the water and there was a sudden drop after a sandbank and my weight went straight through my spine. I'm reasonably confident that, although I can definitely do more strengthening, I'm much stronger than I was before the accident. More sessions in the snow dome is an idea but I would guess that the sports I do now give me a good idea at how I'm getting on.
I'm happy with either boarding or skiing as I'm about the same in both and they both give me equal pleasure. The way I see it is that snowboarding is basically surfing on snow and I don't have any problems surfing. Skiing on the other hand seems to place much more stress on joints and relies on the movement of ankles, knees and hips at the same time being front side on. The problem with my injury is that the alignment of my hips is more crucial than ever now and so if I get it wrong skiing then I'm much more vulnerable to a recurrence. should I hit something hard. Landing hard on my coccyx, basically any back impact is a general life thing so I'm reluctant not to snowboard because of that and I plan to use a spine protector from now on. Google says snowboarding is much kinder on joints...
Did I just answer my own question??? I guess it would just be good to hear from someone much more experienced and qualified than me
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dynamite, I'm not sure what collapsed vertebra are, but I turned 3 of mine from squares into wedges when x-rayed from the side about 20 years ago by hitting a tree stump as I fell from a horse. I ski with very little problem, but I am not pushing the envelope as an early intermediate if that's any help.
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I prolapsed my L3 playing rugby when I was 19; 27 years ago.
The best thing I did was see an Osteopath, as the post traction physio provided by the Nat Health guys was doing nothing. He eased it off loads, but also gave me a set of daily excersises to do, and I've stuck to them ever since. I even played rugby after a season off, but had to move in with the girly backs 
I started skiing about three or four years later and tried snowboarding a few years after that. The only time I've felt it at all was when doing some angulation drill (skiing) a couple of times. Other than that, no real worries so long as I kept up with the daily routine.
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