In the world of professional skiing, there are two words that a racer never wants to hear. They are not "bad weather", "icey conditions", or "steep course". They are "knee surgery". Once a racer hears that, they usually assume that their season is over and that it will take a year or more to return. What they do not know is that that is usually not the case.

Generally speaking, most of the injuries that require surgery in skiing do not take years to come back from. With the exception of some of the more debilitating injuries, a lot of the surgical cases are treated arthroscopically. Whatever the case, it is the post-operative management of the injury that usually decides their future on skis. That is when a properly designed program of training and rehabilitation becomes essential.

Two pro ski racers in particular who have suffered knee injuries and benefited from a quality rehabilitation and training program are Heather Flood and Andreja (Anda) Rojs. Heather underwent ACL reconstructive surgery near the end of last ski season and Anda had arthroscopic surgery for a torn meniscus cartilage 6 weeks ago. They both participated in a Dry Land Training camp hosted by The Stone Clinic in San Francisco this past September that helped to prepare them for the upcoming season. The difference between the pros and others who undergo surgery is in the training--and in their intensity.

Following both of their surgeries, Heather and Anda spent the first few days icing, elevating, stretching and performing leg raises on the operative side. Early weightbearing is encouraged and they are pushed through a program of stationary bike, single leg knee bends, and weightraining on the nonoperative side and for the upper body. Deep water workouts and range of motion exercises to increase movement of the knee are also performed. All in all, they spent about five hours a day performing rehab and general conditioning exercises.

The second week following surgery, the intensity of the program--especially to their operative side--was cautiously increased. Double knee bends, lunges, step exercises, balance and weightraining were performed at higher repetitions and for a longer period of time with the focus on increasing endurance. Cardiovascular conditioning in the form of cycling with increasing intensity, continued water workouts, VersaClimber (a self-standing stair machine) and workouts on an Orbiter (a low-impact treadmill that decreases pounding) were also instituted. At this point, Heather and Anda were training between four and six hours a day, and the important part is that it was not all knee exercises. It is a careful balance of working the surgical side without making things worse.

Another essential component to a good rehab program is to incorporate exercises that simulate skiing. These are instituted early in the rehab process and are performed throughout the course of their training. For instance, lateral leaping from side-to-side with both legs, the noninvolved side and gradually the surgical side mimics the muscles used in skiing. Slide boards where special booties are worn and the athlete slides back and forth on a slick board is also a great ski simulator. As the strength and mobility improves, high intensity bounding exercises--called plyometrics, are slowly introduced. These greatly improve the power and speed that is so essential to skiing.

Fast forward to September. Heather is five months out of her ACL surgery and it is about two weeks since Anda's arthroscopic surgery. They both participate in The Stone Clinic Dry Land Training Camp which is designed to train and condition professional ski racers in the offseason utilizing components that mimics that which they need when racing. The camp consists of speed and agility workouts, distance cycling, deep water turbo classes, plyometrics and stadium step routines, inline skating focusing on turns as if in gates, weightraining programs, sports nutrition counseling, and a boxing class for fun. A vigorous three days of training, but they both came away fitter, stronger, and with the intensity and drive that they need to race. And that is all that it takes for anyone to recover from surgery--intensity, drive and a lot of hard work.