Emily Sarsfield is the UK’s number one female ski cross racer and a regular on the world cup circuit. During the lead up to the 2015 winter ski season, she had a knee operation to repair her ligament damage – but she managed to get back up on her skis again and race.
Emily tells us how she managed the process of rehabilitation and what kind of exercises and tools she used to help her recovery.
> RS. Why did you require a knee operation in the first place?
> ES. In 2009 on the Olympic test event in Vancouver, I had a bad fall in the finals off the penultimate jump on the Ski Cross track, one leg landed in a snow ditch and the other one didn’t, travelling at 60km over a 20 meter corner jump, I tried to avoid the whole jump – but, jumping head to head with my competitors I didn’t have anywhere to go and unfortunately the forces of that impact caused me to shatter my knee, snapping all 4 ligaments, fracturing my femur, tibia and damaging the meniscus and cartilage tissues.
It was terrible timing but I was determined to get back to racing as quickly as possible. After two successful surgeries to rebuild my knee and nine months of grueling rehab, I was back on my skis and racing again! Unfortunately an injury like that doesn’t come with its problems and although the structures were essentially fixed I have had ongoing issues with my knee which my physiotherapists and trainers have worked around. They have adapted my training – I now do extra training to manage my ‘niggle’! Every athlete who puts their body through the intense training programme to be the best at their sport all have a ‘niggle’ or two, especially after a large injury.
I have known about my ‘niggle’ for some time and knew even with the adapted training programmes that I would need extra surgery at some point. After the Sochi Games we decided now was the time, before the next Olympic cycle started, so we could refocus and build from the beginning again, becoming stronger than before. Injury and rehab can be a very positive time to focus on building your body even stronger and more robust than ever.
The latest surgery was ‘micro fracture surgery’ as the meniscus had been removed at the time of my accident and I had since worn a hole through my cartilage leaving me with bone on bone, so essentially I had no shock absorber. They drill into the naked bone to make it bleed, hoping it will create a layer of protection and cushioning back between the bones, to recreate some form of shock absorber – something I need in Ski Cross with the 30 or so metre jumps.
> RS. What can you do to try and prevent these kind of knee injuries?
> ES. Knee injuries can be quite common in skiing unfortunately, however it’s better to try and prevent injury than cure one, so make sure you are prepared for your ski holiday. I’m not saying follow a full time weights programme like the pros but spending a little time working on joint flexibility, balance and strength can make all the difference.
Flexibility – focus on your hips, hamstrings and ankles, making sure they are supple enough so they keep you out of trouble if you get off balance on your skis.
Balance – proprioception is very important, tuning the little receptors, tissues and muscles in and around the knee can really help. They can send messages to the brain to make the larger quadriceps (thighs) and glutes (bum) kick in to protect your joints.
Strength – focus on the legs and the core but more essentially the posterior chain (hamstrings and bottom!) The hamstrings are the real knee protector so make sure you do not neglect them. Often we here about squats, squats and more squats but remember to balance out the fronts of the legs with hamstring work like deadlifts for example.
> RS. After your operation, how long were you unable to walk for?
> ES. The micro fracture surgery meant we needed to give the knee time to heal and create the new layer of cushioning. This meant I could not put weight on the knee at all – I couldn’t even let my toe touch the floor for the first period. I ended up on crutches for 6-8 weeks and fully non-weight bearing for 2 weeks, gradually building up to a toe, 20%, and 50% until I could walk without the crutches. This seemed to last ages but I treat my rehab like my training and I will be very strict to make sure I do it correctly as essentially my body is my engine so I need to treat it with care and give it 100% attention.
> RS. What kind of things did you do to rehabilitate you knee?
> ES. I’m so lucky to have a superb movement trainer in Dan Cleal at Vitality Life Fitness. What he doesn’t know about body function and movement isn’t worth knowing! I trust him entirely and he is extremely inspiring to work with. Straight out of surgery we were still able to challenge my body and legs. It’s amazing what exercises he came up with to work my ‘injured’ leg whilst not even using it – a complete science but he knows it well! We went back to functional body movement with calisthenics and a lot of gymnastics. It was great to re-build and strengthen my body from the inside out and I feel so much stronger from it. After I was allowed to throw out the crutches he teamed up with Davs at Reebok Crossfit Cardiff, a great physical trainer who started to build on the ground work Dan had made. They make a superb team and I have loved learning more about my body and working with them. I am really looking forward to the off season of continuing to build on this and seeing how it relates to the snow – exciting times!
> RS. You use a variety of training aids too, what ones are the best?
> ES. The SkiA Ski Trainer has been great in both my rehab and training. As I have been off my skis a while, once I was able to start to weight bear I could use the SkiA Ski Trainer to tune in my ski technique and work on the proprioception I mentioned earlier. Finding that ‘sweetspot’ the center of the foot which we use so much in my skiing, so when I got back to my skis I didn’t have to waste days returning that stance and balance point.
We also challenge my functional movements on the SkiA trainer… adding the extra balance challenge whilst performing deadlifts, squats and other movements!
> RS. What can you do in the long term to continue building strength in your injured knee?
> ES. The stronger my muscles, the more protective they are to my joints, so I will continue to work on my muscular strength and function to prevent any future injuries. I’m also working on my body function making sure it can react to every angle focusing on keeping everything flexible so I can react to anything thrown at my body, and in ski cross that is pretty essential!
> RS. Do you think it’s harder for recreational skiers to get over these kind of injuries and what would you say to anyone struggling to believe they will ever ski again if they are having problems with their knee ligaments?
When I injured my knee in 2009, the surgeon said I may never ski again but I was so stubborn and I knew I would. 9 months on I was back on the World Cup Tour. Surgery today is so advanced and these structures can be easily fixed, it’s just a matter of making sure you get your muscles and body back and ready to get on your skis. Yes this can be tedious and hard work but it’s definitely worth it. Follow the advice of the physio, build on balance and get the legs and bum strong again and you will be good to go. The hardest thing with any injury is often the head (the psychology) but this is mind over matter. I remember being nervous on my skis for that ‘first fall’ post-surgery but once I stood back up on my skis and knew my knee was fine, I knew I would be OK! I knew I had put in the physical preparation and I felt stronger than ever, so I have faith that my body would stand up to it and it has!
> RS. What’s next for you this summer and into the next winter season?
> ES. This summer I am building on the hard work I have done in rehab, I will be back on my skis in summer to do some technical work, then back on the ski cross tracks in September preparing for the 2016 winter World Cup tour. I can’t wait!
Meanwhile, I am running some Ski Cross camps this summer and Autumn and juggling two other summer jobs and preparing my ski school ‘EmSkiSchool’ for the weeks I am not competing. Unfortunately Ski Cross still isn’t government funded, so I work hard to make sure I can be out there on the mountain doing what I do best!
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Emily Sarsfield is a British Ski Team Ski Cross racer and TV commentator
Follow Emily @ EmSkiCross
Questions by Rob Stewart
