THE SKIER & SNOWBOARDER MAGAZINE, WINTER 01
IN the last two articles in this series, we offered advice on how to prepare your body for the rigours of the slopes, to help reduce the likelihood that you will injure yourself. Another part of your holiday preparation should be spending time researching your travel insurance. Should the worst happen, and you do injure yourself, your situation could get dramatically worse if you then find out that your insurance does not cover you as comprehensively as you originally thought.
It is a little known fact that many insurance policies only cover the cost of medical aid while the individual is abroad. This makes it very tempting to have whatever treatment is needed immediately after the accident, while still abroad. This can be a false economy and, in some cases, do more harm than good. I have see some patients who have taken this course of action and have had to surgically correct injuries. This is because they have been operated on too soon after the accident.
To give you an example of the damage that can be done, I recently treated a woman who injured her knee on the slopes. She had followed the advice of the medical staff at her resort and underwent an operation. On her return to England, she could barely move her leg, and although we have been able to offer some relief with intensive physiotherapy, she could have a limp for the rest of her life.
In order to ensure that your holiday does not end in disaster, you should:
• Take care to read the small print of your
travel insurance.
• If you are unlucky enough to injure yourself, do not be afraid to ask for a second opinion or request to see the local specialist.
• Ensure that you are fully assessed.
• If your insurance does cover you and you are able to travel with your injury, it is better to return to England for further management.
Hopefully, if you follow this advice, and maintain your stamina and strength with the stretches and exercises previously featured, you will be fully prepared and ready to tackle even the most difficult of challenges.
