Each winter, mountain doctors are treated in number that arrive directly from ski slopes. According to the data of these caregivers, “sprains and fractures represent almost 60% of the injuries that occurred during winter sports accidents.” The fault of the “second day syndrome”, since several media wonder, including the Parisian?
Leg pain, fatigue, precarious balance … The manifestations of this phenomenon are light, but they can make the second day of a winter vacation. And, therefore, promotes injuries or accidents.
This syndrome “is not really specific to skiing,” he explains to BFMTV.com Bruno Burel, sports doctor and vice president of the National Union of Sports Doctors (SNMMS-Santé).
“When you practice sports activities, you work muscles,” he said. The effort can cause pain, “micro injuries” that prove to be painful the next day. And especially in people with little sports or less accustomed to working the muscles requested in winter sports.
“You need good hydration after effort”
But the doctor also sees the effect of other factors. In particular, the fact that the body needs a certain time to acclimatize at the altitude of the tracks, which can also cause a less quiet dream. A less good night that is fatally accompanied by fatigue and less good performance on the slopes.
“We also dehydrate us faster. Some do seven or eight hours of sport drinking only a little at noon of food, it is not enough, adds Bruno Burel. It also requires good hydration after the effort is very important.”
Note that accidents are not limited to this famous second day. From the first slope, athletes are subject to a risk. “We see many accidents and evacuations of the first day,” said Dauphiné Libéré Nicolas Sauvage, technical director of the National French ski monitors.
Only in Haute-Savoie, the Prefecture registered 10,301 interventions to rescue skiers or snowboarders in the 2023-2024 season. Precautions must be taken to avoid joining this list.
Public authorities remember, for example, that using a helmet “reduces the risk of head trauma by 35% and even 61% in children.” If it is not mandatory, the accessory is highly recommended.
Source: BFM TV
