ice skating & injury/fracture risk
October 26, 2021 1:29 AM Subscribe
I've always wanted to take ice skating lessons. For the first time in my life I can afford them. The catch: I have osteoporosis due to cancer treatment. Is this a terrible idea?
Obviously I would sign up for the beginner lessons and wear whatever safety gear is recommended (helmet, wrist guards, etc) but I guess my question is how much falling on the ice should I expect as a newbie to this? And would the falls be impactful enough for me to break bones?
My goal is just to be able to skate across the rink (no fancy spins or jumps).
I have a strong core and strong legs. My balance/coordination is not great.
Obviously I would sign up for the beginner lessons and wear whatever safety gear is recommended (helmet, wrist guards, etc) but I guess my question is how much falling on the ice should I expect as a newbie to this? And would the falls be impactful enough for me to break bones?
My goal is just to be able to skate across the rink (no fancy spins or jumps).
I have a strong core and strong legs. My balance/coordination is not great.
I haven't skated for a long time and was always a beginner, but my memory of it is that 1. I fell down a lot and 2. I fell down HARD. I don't know if it's because the ice is espcially hard, or that the slipperiness means you fall very fast and without warning, but it always felt like a much harder impact than eg. falling off roller skates onto a pavement. I felt like I always showed up half expecting to break a wrist, even as a bouncy kid without osteoporosis.
You could maybe look into tutors or classes that cater for additional needs and see if there's someone who'll teach you using one of those kind of frames (like a walking frame on skates) that they sometimes give to kids to help keep them upright. On our local winter rink, they're made to look like penguins for the kids' amusement, but I assume there are probably similar ones without the decoration for adults. Might not be as graceful as you've dreamed of, but might be a way for you to experience the feeling of skating with a slightly reduced likelihood of breaking bones.
posted by penguin pie at 3:10 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
You could maybe look into tutors or classes that cater for additional needs and see if there's someone who'll teach you using one of those kind of frames (like a walking frame on skates) that they sometimes give to kids to help keep them upright. On our local winter rink, they're made to look like penguins for the kids' amusement, but I assume there are probably similar ones without the decoration for adults. Might not be as graceful as you've dreamed of, but might be a way for you to experience the feeling of skating with a slightly reduced likelihood of breaking bones.
posted by penguin pie at 3:10 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
I think this might be a no go, unfortunately.
Would you consider another activity which shares some qualities, but might be less dangerous? I did adult ballet classes for a while and really enjoyed it. You won't be on ice but you could work on travelling across the room with grace, and maybe some basic turns and jumps. I am not very coordinated but didn't fall once.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 3:16 AM on October 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
Would you consider another activity which shares some qualities, but might be less dangerous? I did adult ballet classes for a while and really enjoyed it. You won't be on ice but you could work on travelling across the room with grace, and maybe some basic turns and jumps. I am not very coordinated but didn't fall once.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 3:16 AM on October 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
I do agree that this is a check with your doctor kind of situation. My gut feeling, is that this plan is probably not a great one for someone in your situation. Falling down when learning to ice skate is practically inevitable for most. Anecdotally I'd say that falling on ice* is more like falling on tile or marble than wood or grass. Therefore, perhaps roller skating at a roller rink is potentially relatively safer. Another potentially safer option might be some sort of adaptive skating.
*FWIW the last time I went ice skating was as a 20-something. I learned to skate as a kid, but as an adult I lasted about 20 minutes before my knees/ back started to hurt (because the ice was so hard, not because I fell).
posted by oceano at 3:17 AM on October 26, 2021
*FWIW the last time I went ice skating was as a 20-something. I learned to skate as a kid, but as an adult I lasted about 20 minutes before my knees/ back started to hurt (because the ice was so hard, not because I fell).
posted by oceano at 3:17 AM on October 26, 2021
I took skating lessons in my 40s. I fell a lot and was generally covered in bruises (though I must say, I enjoyed learning to skate regardless; it's fun). Within a month of starting lessons, I fractured my elbow trying to break my fall. It's possible I'm clumsier than other people, but I wouldn't recommend it.
posted by pangolin party at 3:53 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by pangolin party at 3:53 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
I used to work at a hockey store, and during that time I was at ice rinks sometimes three times a week. I saw a lot of people learning to skate. I can say that it’s definitely possible to learn without falling. But I will also say that I’m still pretty skeptical that skating would be a good activity for someone in your situation.
First, even if you successfully learn to skate, you also have to learn to stop. And unless you’ve skied semi-competently before, it takes a fairly long time to learn. Practically speaking, most beginners stop by colliding with the side or end boards. You can do this and stay on your feet, but the impact on your hands, wrists, and shoulders will be higher than you’d probably like.
The other thing is that even if you’re a skating savant and get it immediately, you’re still on the ice with a bunch of other people who aren’t. All it takes is for one of them to fall and slide a little bit, and you’re down too. The kicker is that, since you’re not expecting to fall in these cases, you can’t brace yourself, so they usually hurt more than just falling on your own, and have a higher likelihood of causing injury.
posted by kevinbelt at 4:18 AM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
First, even if you successfully learn to skate, you also have to learn to stop. And unless you’ve skied semi-competently before, it takes a fairly long time to learn. Practically speaking, most beginners stop by colliding with the side or end boards. You can do this and stay on your feet, but the impact on your hands, wrists, and shoulders will be higher than you’d probably like.
The other thing is that even if you’re a skating savant and get it immediately, you’re still on the ice with a bunch of other people who aren’t. All it takes is for one of them to fall and slide a little bit, and you’re down too. The kicker is that, since you’re not expecting to fall in these cases, you can’t brace yourself, so they usually hurt more than just falling on your own, and have a higher likelihood of causing injury.
posted by kevinbelt at 4:18 AM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
My balance/coordination is not great.
I think I'd work on this first for a year or two (it's important for preventing falls in general!). After that, I'd be in a better position to decide.
posted by trig at 5:45 AM on October 26, 2021
I think I'd work on this first for a year or two (it's important for preventing falls in general!). After that, I'd be in a better position to decide.
posted by trig at 5:45 AM on October 26, 2021
My kids are taking ice skating lessons, and I occasionally groupon to do it with them since I am still trying to learn to skate backwards. During the lessons, it's pretty rare to fall down, unless you are under 5 and extremely unbalanced.
During the open skate period afterwards, falling is much more common because you are going faster and doing more risky things.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:26 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
During the open skate period afterwards, falling is much more common because you are going faster and doing more risky things.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:26 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Much as I agree with the cautious comments I've noticed the folks that do poorly are not taking it seriously, not learning to lace boots correctly snug, using poor skates, not taking a quality class. If you're determined it should be possible to learn without falling. But there is always the chance, learning to fall the right way is also a thing. And wearing extra protective equipment, wrist guards, a helmet, knee pads is not unreasonable. Look for classes and talk to the teachers, most should get the issue. A long smooth glide is really worth the effort, just an amazing visceral pleasure.
posted by sammyo at 7:41 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by sammyo at 7:41 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
So listen, I'm gonna disagree with the majority of posters and tell you about my experience. I started skating lessons in my late 40s, very fat, after many years of being completely sedentary. I chose skating because I wanted to do some exercise, but every other form of exercise sounded annoying, and skating sounded fun.
My first trip was just renting skates at a public session just to see if this even seemed feasible. It did, so I signed up for beginner lessons -- in the parlance, LTS, aka Learn to Skate. In short, I have freaking adored it and I've now kept going for several years. (And for me this was definitely the gateway drug via exercise, because now I do 5 hard-ass HIIT workouts per week in addition to skating.)
To focus on your question: Yes, I have fallen. Many times. I've only had 1 "serious" fall -- but that wasn't until I was working on jumps, and the seriousness is that I sprained both wrists, one lightly the other more. Falls at the beginning are likely to be extremely slow speed and not super painful. You can purchase skating crash pants (not endorsing that model, just showing you an example) and a head guard (many people I know wear that one), and knee pads. Those can really help against some big potential injuries. Wrist guards -- coaches are divided. My coach is adamantly against them (even after my big wrist injury) because he says it just means when you fall and automatically try to brace yourself you'll break your fingers because your wrists won't bend.
But also -- I haven't fallen all that much. It's a source of frustration in the sense that I am a cautious skater, so I haven't progressed as far or as quickly as other people around me. And you know what? I just don't care. I'm having so much fun when I'm on the rink. The sport of it is fun. The exercise is fun. It's a pleasant atmosphere. When I'm on the ice I'm concentrating so hard I can't worry about the real world. I don't keep my phone on me (because i don't want to break it if I fall) so it's one of the truly free moments in my life, and I keep going back.
I say go for it -- at least go to one public session and see if you enjoy it.
Side note: if you do end up progressing beyond, say, one semester of lessons, purchase your own skates. It makes a world of difference, because rental skates are trash.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:19 AM on October 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
My first trip was just renting skates at a public session just to see if this even seemed feasible. It did, so I signed up for beginner lessons -- in the parlance, LTS, aka Learn to Skate. In short, I have freaking adored it and I've now kept going for several years. (And for me this was definitely the gateway drug via exercise, because now I do 5 hard-ass HIIT workouts per week in addition to skating.)
To focus on your question: Yes, I have fallen. Many times. I've only had 1 "serious" fall -- but that wasn't until I was working on jumps, and the seriousness is that I sprained both wrists, one lightly the other more. Falls at the beginning are likely to be extremely slow speed and not super painful. You can purchase skating crash pants (not endorsing that model, just showing you an example) and a head guard (many people I know wear that one), and knee pads. Those can really help against some big potential injuries. Wrist guards -- coaches are divided. My coach is adamantly against them (even after my big wrist injury) because he says it just means when you fall and automatically try to brace yourself you'll break your fingers because your wrists won't bend.
But also -- I haven't fallen all that much. It's a source of frustration in the sense that I am a cautious skater, so I haven't progressed as far or as quickly as other people around me. And you know what? I just don't care. I'm having so much fun when I'm on the rink. The sport of it is fun. The exercise is fun. It's a pleasant atmosphere. When I'm on the ice I'm concentrating so hard I can't worry about the real world. I don't keep my phone on me (because i don't want to break it if I fall) so it's one of the truly free moments in my life, and I keep going back.
I say go for it -- at least go to one public session and see if you enjoy it.
Side note: if you do end up progressing beyond, say, one semester of lessons, purchase your own skates. It makes a world of difference, because rental skates are trash.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:19 AM on October 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
I think you have gotten a lot of great advice and perspective here. I had a similar experience that I wanted to share:
I rollerskated for my ENTIRE childhood. Like, I lived on skates. I loved it. I decided to start rollerskating again this summer. I am 41 now, but I'm active and I have good balance. I was wobbly at first, but had all of the protective gear (wrist guards, knee pads) and good skates, and after about twenty minutes I felt a little glimmer of the confidence and fun I used to experience when I skated as a kid. I did not attempt any tricks, I did not go very fast, but I skated and it was great. Then I fell and somehow landed directly on my face and fractured my nose and got two black eyes. I was grateful not to have broken a bone or lost a tooth. Physically, I was not in much pain, but I spent a few weeks looking like I'd gotten punched in the face, and the whole x-rays/evaluation rigmarole was no fun in a pandemic. Also, blowing my nose was INCREDIBLY painful.
I'm glad I went. I'm overwhelmed with relief my fall wasn't more serious. Later in the summer I went kayaking and I loved the feeling of powerfully gliding through the water. I do wonder if there are other activities that can scratch the skating itch that might be more manageable for you. Best of luck, in whatever you endeavour on!
posted by kate blank at 9:32 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
I rollerskated for my ENTIRE childhood. Like, I lived on skates. I loved it. I decided to start rollerskating again this summer. I am 41 now, but I'm active and I have good balance. I was wobbly at first, but had all of the protective gear (wrist guards, knee pads) and good skates, and after about twenty minutes I felt a little glimmer of the confidence and fun I used to experience when I skated as a kid. I did not attempt any tricks, I did not go very fast, but I skated and it was great. Then I fell and somehow landed directly on my face and fractured my nose and got two black eyes. I was grateful not to have broken a bone or lost a tooth. Physically, I was not in much pain, but I spent a few weeks looking like I'd gotten punched in the face, and the whole x-rays/evaluation rigmarole was no fun in a pandemic. Also, blowing my nose was INCREDIBLY painful.
I'm glad I went. I'm overwhelmed with relief my fall wasn't more serious. Later in the summer I went kayaking and I loved the feeling of powerfully gliding through the water. I do wonder if there are other activities that can scratch the skating itch that might be more manageable for you. Best of luck, in whatever you endeavour on!
posted by kate blank at 9:32 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I've been skating for many years. You will fall--in fact, learning how to fall correctly (and get back) is usually one of the first skills you learn. I am healthy and experienced and I have broken my leg on a basic turn (and know another skater who got the same injury the same way) and fell and hit my head so hard that I got whiplash on a slightly more complex turn (a coach who had the same fall broke her arm).
These are the only two major injuries I've had in the time I've been skating (and the broken bone was because I needed new skates but couldn't get an appointment), but I've had a lot of really bad bruises that maybe would have been worse if I was predisposed to injury. I consider the risk of an injury that would affect my daily life to be very low and I love skating so I accept the small risk. (I quit indoor rock climbing after a severe ankle sprain because my love of the sport was lower and the risk higher.)
I do not normally wear padding (there are several experienced adult skaters, and many adult beginners, who do at my rink). Equipment could have prevented my two injuries (new skates, helmet) and many of my bruises (knee pads, padded shorts).
If I was diagnosed with osteoporosis or similar I would try to keep skating but (a) wear the best requirement money can buy (buy your own recreational level skates because rentals are of variable; buy pads made for figure skaters if possible) and (b) take private lessons (not group classes) from a coach who is used to working with adults more averse to injury (ask the rink or some of the coaches--they know who to recommend, I know which coach this would be at my rink), during (c) really empty sessions (middle of the day usually; on lesson or freestyle ice only if possible, never during public skate when a renegade toddler can take you out).
Talk to your doctor about how you can do this safely, and if you can; this should be a dialogue about risks, not a mandate. When I quit rock climbing my orthopedic surgeon was blunt they he sees broken bones from bouldering all the time and that there really isn't a way to mitigate that risk (without switching to rope climbing, at least); when I broke my leg skating he was a bit surprised I had the injury I did and told me to get new skates (and PT) before getting back on the ice.
posted by jessica fletcher did it at 10:04 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
These are the only two major injuries I've had in the time I've been skating (and the broken bone was because I needed new skates but couldn't get an appointment), but I've had a lot of really bad bruises that maybe would have been worse if I was predisposed to injury. I consider the risk of an injury that would affect my daily life to be very low and I love skating so I accept the small risk. (I quit indoor rock climbing after a severe ankle sprain because my love of the sport was lower and the risk higher.)
I do not normally wear padding (there are several experienced adult skaters, and many adult beginners, who do at my rink). Equipment could have prevented my two injuries (new skates, helmet) and many of my bruises (knee pads, padded shorts).
If I was diagnosed with osteoporosis or similar I would try to keep skating but (a) wear the best requirement money can buy (buy your own recreational level skates because rentals are of variable; buy pads made for figure skaters if possible) and (b) take private lessons (not group classes) from a coach who is used to working with adults more averse to injury (ask the rink or some of the coaches--they know who to recommend, I know which coach this would be at my rink), during (c) really empty sessions (middle of the day usually; on lesson or freestyle ice only if possible, never during public skate when a renegade toddler can take you out).
Talk to your doctor about how you can do this safely, and if you can; this should be a dialogue about risks, not a mandate. When I quit rock climbing my orthopedic surgeon was blunt they he sees broken bones from bouldering all the time and that there really isn't a way to mitigate that risk (without switching to rope climbing, at least); when I broke my leg skating he was a bit surprised I had the injury I did and told me to get new skates (and PT) before getting back on the ice.
posted by jessica fletcher did it at 10:04 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
I agree that it's really important to talk to your doctor - especially about how compromised your bone strength is. I know someone with cancer who broke a bone in his shoulder reaching across the table - obviously, for someone like that, ice skating would be out of the question. Your ability to heal from a broken bone might also be compromised - again, that's something to talk to your doctor about.
(I hope you can figure this out - when it became clear that my life would be hell without a port, I went through a lot trying to figure out how to keep fencing. I was ultimately able to make it work, though COVID put another wrinkle into it. My experience of oncologists is that they understand how important it is to do the things that you love. Good luck to you.)
posted by FencingGal at 10:39 AM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
(I hope you can figure this out - when it became clear that my life would be hell without a port, I went through a lot trying to figure out how to keep fencing. I was ultimately able to make it work, though COVID put another wrinkle into it. My experience of oncologists is that they understand how important it is to do the things that you love. Good luck to you.)
posted by FencingGal at 10:39 AM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
I am a hockey player who relearned to skate as an adult after not lacing them up for like 12 years. One of the things I see at the rinks I skate(d) at is some kids use what I can only describe as a 'walker'. They push it along the ice and hold on so as not to fall. Maybe that would be an option knowing that you have a medical condition. Ask the instructor. I caution that it seemed to me that this made the learning to skate process longer, but safer.
posted by AugustWest at 11:29 AM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by AugustWest at 11:29 AM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
I'm a (speed)skater who learned as an adult. I agree with everyone about falling--you will fall; it's inevitable. Maybe you want to wait until your doctor signs off on it. Getting your equipment professionally fitted will also help reduce injuries.
However, you say that your balance/coordination is not great. This is something you can improve significantly before you step on the ice, whenever that is, and thereby reduce you likelihood of falls. Check out exercises for proprioception. You might also get recommendations from your physical therapist (if you have one).
Performing dryland/off-ice skating drills and incorporating slide disks and slide boards into your workouts will also help you with developing muscle memory, proprioception, and coordination that will help you on the ice. (FWIW, I noticed a ton of dryland figure skating videos on Youtube.) Speedskating lore has it that you need 5 mins of off-ice training to sustain 1 min of on-ice. Not sure if that rule of thumb works for figure skating, too. But...if you can't get on the ice; you might as well prep for when you can!
posted by skye.dancer at 11:58 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
However, you say that your balance/coordination is not great. This is something you can improve significantly before you step on the ice, whenever that is, and thereby reduce you likelihood of falls. Check out exercises for proprioception. You might also get recommendations from your physical therapist (if you have one).
Performing dryland/off-ice skating drills and incorporating slide disks and slide boards into your workouts will also help you with developing muscle memory, proprioception, and coordination that will help you on the ice. (FWIW, I noticed a ton of dryland figure skating videos on Youtube.) Speedskating lore has it that you need 5 mins of off-ice training to sustain 1 min of on-ice. Not sure if that rule of thumb works for figure skating, too. But...if you can't get on the ice; you might as well prep for when you can!
posted by skye.dancer at 11:58 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
I skated a bit when I was a kid but never very much. I've taken to skating more now but I'm not very good at it because I try to avoid falling and I think something like learning skating works better if you fall a bunch of times so that you get a good idea of what the actual limits are. I did do some stopping drills where I decided to let myself fall and ended up falling and fracturing my elbow. I picked up skateboarding this year and have fallen a bunch of times but wear pads and haven't injured myself yet so I'll probably wear them the next time I go skating so that I can push myself again.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:52 PM on October 26, 2021
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:52 PM on October 26, 2021
"One of the things I see at the rinks I skate(d) at is some kids use what I can only describe as a 'walker'."
For an adult, a folding chair works well for this purpose, too.
posted by kevinbelt at 12:57 PM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
For an adult, a folding chair works well for this purpose, too.
posted by kevinbelt at 12:57 PM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Re: the "walker" things: if you're only planning on going to a public open skate, sure, go ahead and use whatever they've got. At my rink they're shaped kinda like a seal and are called "Bobbies" for some reason. But if you actually want to learn how to skate, don't use them. For one thing, they're way too short (made for kids) so they keep you weirdly bent over in a way that emphatically does not teach you how to balance on skates (which hey, has the bonus of also killing your back). They're also generally not used/allowed in lessons, which makes perfect sense. You're there to learn to skate!
posted by BlahLaLa at 1:50 PM on October 26, 2021
posted by BlahLaLa at 1:50 PM on October 26, 2021
Fellow early-osteoporosis sufferer here. I wish I had known about the existence of hip pads before I broke my hip on rollerblades.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:23 PM on October 26, 2021
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:23 PM on October 26, 2021
I'm a roller skater (so not the same level of falling risk possibly) in my 50s. I haven't fallen much at all and the one time I did it wasn't serious because...
1) I'm just out there to go slow and enjoy myself, I dont go fast.
2) I wear my protective gear.
3) I watched videos to learn how to fall.
I think if your doctor says it's OK you could do this.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 6:22 AM on October 27, 2021
1) I'm just out there to go slow and enjoy myself, I dont go fast.
2) I wear my protective gear.
3) I watched videos to learn how to fall.
I think if your doctor says it's OK you could do this.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 6:22 AM on October 27, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
In my experience learning how to skate first is about about learning how to stand up and not fall over. You will fall on ice in unexpected and uncontrolled ways. Then it is about not falling on others, or others falling on you while you are actually skating I'd be worried about the second more than the first. Beginners have trouble controlling their speed and starting and stopping. You can't control if somebody accidently hits you going way faster than you or their wieght. In general there are rules to help prohibit this sort of stuff, but basic ice skating will have a variety of skill levels and ages you can't control for. I always felt ice was particularly choatic in that way, and I do account for the relative health of others and myself at the time that I came away with no injuries other than some bruising. I would definately ask a doctor prior to doing this activity if you are really adamant about trying it, and also concider lessons with as few people on the ice at one time. But personally I would coincider myself too high risk if I had osteoporosis on a regular rink or with a group class. Maybe in a class of five where you could communicate your needs and give everyone a wide berth, but more than that I would be very hesitant.
posted by AlexiaSky at 2:26 AM on October 26, 2021 [4 favorites]