{"id":800830,"date":"2019-10-30T08:00:46","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T14:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=373750"},"modified":"2019-10-30T08:00:46","modified_gmt":"2019-10-30T14:00:46","slug":"prevention-and-treatment-in-common-ski-related-injuries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/prevention-and-treatment-in-common-ski-related-injuries\/","title":{"rendered":"Prevention and treatment in common ski-related injuries"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: Sponsored content brought to you by Panorama Summit <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n
The most common reason for skiers and snowboarders to end up at Panorama Summit Orthopedics is due to ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and MCL (medial collateral ligament) injuries.<\/em><\/strong>
Courtesy Photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In
\nOctober, with just a couple of runs open at the local ski resorts, Dr. Aaron
\nBlack has already seen a patient who required surgery due to an on-mountain
\ninjury.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see
\ncommon sports-related orthopedic injuries, as well as more trauma-related
\ninjuries,\u201d said Dr. Aaron Black, an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports
\nmedicine at Panorama Summit Orthopedics. \u201cWhen it comes to skiers, it\u2019s
\ngenerally their knees that get injured. Everyone knows somebody who\u2019s torn an
\nACL.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through
\nknee reconstruction, repair and replacement surgeries, cartilage restoration
\nprocedures and other sports medicine treatments, Dr. Black \u2014 an avid skier
\nhimself \u2014 finds great satisfaction in returning outdoor enthusiasts and
\nathletes back to their beloved activities. With ski season upon us, here are
\nsome of the things Dr. Black wants skiers and snowboarders to think about.<\/p>\n

Common skiing and snowboarding
\ninjuries<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n
Dr. Aaron Black has a special appreciation for pre-season conditioning \u2014 he used to work as a certified physical trainer, and he also participates in a diverse mix of sports and activities himself. <\/em><\/strong>
Courtesy Photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The
\nmost common reason for skiers and snowboarders to end up at Panorama Summit
\nOrthopedics is due to ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and MCL (medial
\ncollateral ligament) injuries, both in the knee.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose
\ntwo injuries often come together because of the dynamic forces that happen
\nduring the most common ways people fall,\u201d Dr. Black said.<\/p>\n

Another
\ncommon injury in skiers and snowboarders is a meniscus tear. Meniscus is a
\nsmall piece of cartilage that provides a cushion between the femur and tibia.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeniscus
\nis very important because it protects your cartilage,\u201d Dr. Black said. \u201cI\u2019m
\nvery aggressive about fixing meniscus \u2014 if I can save it, I save it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A less
\ncommon, but still familiar, skier injury in Summit County is a tibial spine
\navulsion fracture, which Dr. Black said usually happens when the knee
\nhyperextends during a rotation. This is equivalent to an ACL tear but tends to
\nheal much faster with appropriate surgical treatment.<\/p>\n

There
\nare two common mechanisms that cause the ACL to tear. The first one is when
\npeople lean far back in their skis, it lets the tibia slide forward, which is
\none of the forces the ACL resists. This is more common with beginners and those
\nwho are tired at the end of a long day Dr. Black said.  The second is a so-called dynamic snowplow
\ninjury, the front edge of the ski catches and keeps rotating inward.<\/p>\n

The importance of pre-season
\nconditioning <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n
After an injury, Dr. Aaron Black at Panorama Summit Orthopedics can get you back to your favorite activities via knee reconstruction, repair and replacement surgeries, cartilage restoration procedures and other sports medicine treatments.<\/em><\/strong>
Courtesy Photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Dr.
\nBlack has a special appreciation for pre-season conditioning \u2014 he used to work
\nas a certified physical trainer, and he also participates in a diverse mix of
\nsports and activities himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have
\nmy own ski conditioning program I am doing now to get ready for the season,\u201d he
\nsaid. \u201cA lot of what we do in the summer doesn\u2019t prepare us well for the ski
\nseason. It prepares us well cardiovascularly to go out and ski all day, but not
\nfor the specific forces in skiing and snowboarding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unless
\nyou\u2019re cutting and pivoting a lot, like in soccer, most summertime sports are
\nmore straight-line motions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat
\nwe lack is active side-to-side plyometric motions,\u201d Dr. Black said, adding that
\nthis often results in quad-to-hamstring imbalances. \u201cIt\u2019s very important your
\nhamstrings are as strong as they need to be \u2014 it\u2019s a supportive structure for
\nthe ACL.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s
\nalso important to make sure your gear is dialed in before you head out on the
\nhill. One thing Dr. Black makes sure to check is his binding release settings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf your
\nbinding isn\u2019t going to release, your ACL will,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Realistic progression<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beginning
\nplyometric exercises about four to six weeks before you start skiing or
\nsnowboarding is a good window for an already fit person, Dr. Black said. For
\nsomeone with less frequent athletic training, it\u2019s important to be honest with
\nyourself about your capabilities and limitations \u2014 especially if you\u2019re coming
\nto Summit County from your couch back at sea level.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe
\nbetter strength and endurance you have going into ski season, the better you
\nprotect your body\u2019s structures,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m a big fan of things you can do
\nat home, such as plyometric and body-weight exercises that get your muscles
\nwoken up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Treating injuries<\/strong><\/p>\n

When an
\nACL tears, it\u2019s almost always going to require surgery, Dr. Black said. The
\ntype of surgery and the recovery period depends on several factors.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome
\nACLs can be repaired, while others need to be reconstructed. If I can repair it
\nI will \u2014 if you can keep your own tissue, the recovery is faster,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cMuscles try and protect the knee when it\u2019s at risk or under stress, but that
\nfunction doesn\u2019t come back for about one to two years after reconstruction
\nsurgery. In repair surgery, it comes back immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr.
\nBlack has many techniques to fix cartilage injuries, including cartilage
\ntransplants. These restoration procedures are important because cartilage can\u2019t
\nregenerate itself. Cartilage restoration is a very complex procedure with very
\nspecific indications. It can have a dramatic positive impact on pain and
\nconfidence in your joints. The most common symptoms are persistent pain in a
\nlocalized area around the knee that sometimes includes a catching sensation. A
\nclinical evaluation is needed to see if the procedure is appropriate for your
\nindividual injury.<\/p>\n

via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: Sponsored content brought to you by Panorama Summit The most common reason for skiers and snowboarders to end up at Panorama Summit Orthopedics is due to ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and MCL (medial collateral ligament) injuries.Courtesy Photo In October, with just a couple of runs open at the local ski resorts, Dr. Aaron […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-800830","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-27 18:44:28","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=800830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800830\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=800830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=800830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=800830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}