Body and Ski alignment

Skiing is about controlling the placement of your centre of gravity on the skis in order to keep the skis on the snow with the required control.

When did you last feel your skis tailing away or the tips crossing each other? This happens when you are either too far forward or too far back on your skis.

Alignment will unconsciously regulate your balance, to distribute your weight evenly and control your skis.

With Ski Alignment every skier will find something positive to enhance their skiing, from the beginner who wants to improve his comfort to the expert more concern about speed and technique.

The foundations of alignment are achieved through a specific orthotic adapted to the skiers' needs. These orthotics will stabilise the foot and ankle (lateral alignment) and adjust the fore/aft balance, so important for a good alignment

The alignment requires:

One to one, 90 minute appointments

You must have your own boots

Bring the ski socks you normally wear

I do not need skis yet

Bring a change of comfortable clothing or shorts (I need to see your knees)

Who can benefit from Ski Alignment?

Everyone who enjoys skiing as a leisure or sport activity and would like to get over that plateau stage of their skiing career. There is always something else to blame after a day skiing, trying to explain your problems. A biomechanical and postural alignment is often the key to many of those problems.

As a skier, the problems you encounter could come from:

A lack of comfort in your boots
A lack of grip from your boots
Your biomechanical alignment
Your posture

An orthotic will provide the necessary mechanical support for an ideal foot and boot alignment and harmonise your anatomy with your equipment.

Orthotics for skiers

FOOT	ORTHOTICS	BOOT ALIGNMENT

Ski Alignment and ACL injuries

Anatomy and Biomechanics

The ACL helps to limit anterior translation of the tibia on the femur. It works with the posterior cruciate ligament to control gliding and gliding of the tibia on the femur during normal flexion and extension. It provides secondary restraint limiting internal rotation of the tibia.

The ligament is made up of two bands. The twisted configuration of the ACL fibres and shape of the femoral condyles allow for the screw-home mechanism of the knee during the final 20 degrees of extension when the tibia extremely rotates on the femur. The ligament is under varying degrees of tension in all positions of motion, but maximal tibial anterior translation is observed at 30-degree flexion when both the ACL bands display their minimum tension.

Structural Factors

Q-ANGLE

The «miserable misalignment syndrome » of high Q-angle, increased pelvic width, anteverted femur, valgus knee and pronated foot is often quoted as an explanation for increased knee injury.

The Q-angle is described as being formed between the vectors for combined pull of the quadriceps femoris muscle and the patellar tendon. There is no strict agreement regarding standardised reference values, but Q-angles exceeding 15 degrees in males and 20 degrees in females are considered are considered abnormal.

There is a recognised relationship between Q-angle, patellar mal-tracking and anterior knee pain.

Female

Male

SUBTALAR PRONATION (Foot and Ankle pronation)

Pronation is defined as a combined motion involving subtalar eversion, foot abduction and ankle dorsiflexion. Subtalar pronation and internal rotation of the tibia occur concurrently in the contact phase of the gait cycle and the ACL becomes taut with tibial rotation. Abnormal pronator are found to have increased passive knee rotation at 5 degrees of knee flexion and that there is an important relationship between pronation and rotational knee joint laxity. It has been concluded that prolonged pronation of the subtalar joint produced increased internal tibial rotation, which turn the stresses to the medial structure of the knee.

SPECIFIC SKI ORTHOTIC

A specific ski orthotic can provide the necessary amount of support to control the subtalar pronation and align the foot within the boot. This optimum alignment will install the maximum ankle, knee, hip and pelvic join congruency and proprioception. Good balance on skis is as important as muscle power. Postural ski Alignment will involve the foot, knee and hip and will mean freedom of movements within those joins, transmitting power to the ski.