While Olympic figure skaters glide across the ice with apparent grace and ease, these elite athletes face injury challenges similar to everyday fitness enthusiasts who visit gyms or participate in recreational sports.
“No athlete at this level is 100% fully healthy,” Gretchen Mohney, the director of medical and performance services for U.S. Figure Skating, told The Associated Press from Milan. “It’s about managing whatever it is that may be breaking down.”
Olympic-level skaters benefit from immediate access to doctors, trainers, and physical therapists when problems arise, whether it’s knee swelling, back pain, or cuts from sharp blades.
Mohney, who earned her doctorate in interdisciplinary health sciences, identified warning signs that skating professionals monitor and shared wellness advice for recreational athletes.
First, address sudden injuries right away. “Recognizing and responding to acute injury is huge and what we are going to do about it versus ignoring it, because it usually gets worse,” Mohney said. “You have to get rid of the old-school philosophy of just suck it up and don’t do anything about it.”
Second, manage ongoing injuries properly. Elite competitors can’t take extended breaks, especially during Olympic competition where timing is everything. “We don’t say rest for two weeks, we say let’s get you to perform as safely as possible … without causing further injury,” Mohney said. Sometimes solutions are straightforward, such as adding extra padding inside skates to reduce friction.
Third, maintain flexibility and watch for compensation patterns. Proper stretching and warm-up routines are essential. “When we lose mobility or flexibility our bodies start to compensate and the stress is put on another part,” Mohney explained. For competitive skaters, this flexibility “could mean the difference between doing a double jump and a quadruple jump.”
Fourth, prevent overuse injuries by varying training intensity and volume. Since skaters compete throughout the year, they must balance their workload. Mohney cited the example of layback spins, where skaters repeatedly arch their backs. “You are going to have back pain no matter who you are,” she said. “All of our athletes vary their training. You want to make sure you are changing your load so the body can recover.”
Dr. Fred Workman, who has served as a team physician for U.S. Figure Skating for a quarter-century, reports seeing more head injuries recently. While audiences may only notice the artistic elements, modern figure skating involves increasingly dangerous technical elements.
Common injuries among skaters include cuts from razor-sharp blades, problems with hips, knees, ankles and feet, plus shoulder injuries for male skaters who lift partners during pairs routines.
“They’re doing overhead lifts, spinning around on the ice — and smiling,” Workman said. “Skaters are doing much more demanding and aggressive — risky if you will — maneuvers. The hard ice always wins. When you fall on the ice, something is going to give.”
Workman’s responsibilities extend beyond physical treatment to include a comprehensive approach to athlete development, encompassing stress management and mental wellness.
“Life doesn’t always go your way,” Workman said. “We’re in a judged sport. You may not always get the scores you think you deserve. But how do you handle it? You have to get yourself mentally focused and be ready to perform.”
The mental pressure on elite skaters was evident when Ilia Malinin fell twice during competition in Milan last week, later describing feeling overwhelmed. “I just felt like I had no control,” he said.
Beyond competition preparation, Workman encourages skaters to diversify their training routines and personal interests.
“Not only cross-train in your sport, but cross-train as a human,” he said. “Diversify your interests. A very common mistake is spending all of your time on the ice and less time in off-the-ice training.”
Workman advocates for a broader perspective, even among Olympic-caliber athletes. He referenced a previous NCAA television campaign that reminded college athletes about life beyond sports.
“At the end of the day, competitive careers end,” Workman said. “Why do we even have sport? It’s to build resilience, to build the life skills you need.”
American pairs skaters Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea understand injury challenges firsthand. Kam missed a month last year due to concussion, while O’Shea required foot surgery.
Despite these setbacks, they delivered an outstanding performance that contributed to the United States winning consecutive Olympic gold medals in the team competition.
“We just wanted to kind of give it our all, and I feel like that’s part of the reason why Danny and I have been able to work through so much of what people would see as obstacles,” Kam said. “I think in the obstacles we found a way to connect better and be a stronger team.”
Deanna Stellato-Dudek, a 42-year-old American-born skater competing for Canada, suffered a head injury during practice on January 30th. She and partner Maxime Deschamps had to withdraw from the team event during the Olympics’ opening week.
“You have to take extremely specific care of your body,” she told The AP. “I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I’m extremely healthy. And I do think being able to treat my body like that for the last decade has helped me to heal very quickly.”
