Let's face it, we all have asymmetries. Or at least all of us over the age of about 8 do. Especially those of us who hurl ourselves down steep hills with our feet strapped to a couple planks of plastic or wood. Speaking of that - anyone see Warren Miller's Dynasty? Loved those old-school Chinese skis!
Fixing asymmetries for most people results in improved movement in daily life, reduced pain, and reduced risk of injury when participating in sports.
For skiers it goes a step further: it can fix your skiing! I don't think there is another sport out there where performance is so closely tied to functional movement. Maybe gymnastics.
It often takes years of skiing frustration to come to the conclusion that the problems you have turning are the result of an alignment issue; not because you can't ski. For most this is actually exciting because the boot fitter may just provide a life-altering adjustment (ok, ski-altering but really is there a difference between skiing and life?)
The boot fitter is a great option if the problem is truly a structural one. But what if it's a functional problem? What if the problem is caused by a muscular imbalance, or a dysfunctional movement pattern? If that is the case, adjusting your equipment will correct the symptom, but the problem will still exist. But now your equipment is adding compensating to the compensating that our body is already doing! How long before this results in another problem? The knee bone's connected to the thigh bone; the thigh bone's connected to the hip bone...
What if adjusting the boots or bindings just moves the problem up or down the chain (body) and now introduces a different dysfunction? Soon you will likely find a new problem in your skiing, that will lead to a need for a new adjustment. And did you know that muscle imbalance is a significant risk factor for injury?
Get Screened!
If you or your instructor discovers a problem in your skiing that you think is related to alignment, I would suggest that before you go see the boot fitter, go and see a Functional Movement Screen (FMS) Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) for an assessment. If you have asymmetries, then the FMS will identify them, and the FMS practitioner will provide you with specific corrective exercises to address them. Odds are you will get 2-5 exercises that you should do at home everyday, and preferably before you head out on the slopes. It won't be long before you start seeing improvements in your skiing as a result of correcting your asymmetries.
If you don't see any improvement within a month then go see your boot fitter as this might be a good sign that you have a structural alignment problem.
Why not see the boot fitter first? You could do that, but the problem there is that if the problem is indeed functional, then you haven't fixed the problem; you've just put a band-aid on it. Wouldn't you rather try to fix the problem?
Check the Functional Movement website for a list of FMS certified professionals.
If you are in the Ottawa area, book an appointment to come and see me at Ottawa Osteopathy & Sports Therapy, or book a private lesson with me at Camp Fortune and I'll take a look at both your skiing and your movement. If you are coming to see me at the clinic, bring clothes that you can move well in - preferably shorts and t-shirt and athletic shoes. If you have a video clip of your skiing, bring that too!
If you are not in the Ottawa area but are interested in an assessment and corrective exercise prescription, and you have access to a video camera, then send me an email! I will ask that you video yourself doing about a dozen movements, and send me the video clip (either upload it to youtube or I can give you an ftp address to upload it to my website. If you have any ski video footage, please submit that as well. I will assess your movement and your skiing and will recommend some specific corrective exercises for you. I may also suggest a few on-hill exercises to help address any technique issues. :)
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