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Winter sports injuries often have the same three things in common – crash, twist and pop! Ohh yes, then there's number four - PAIN!
Colorado winters offer some of the most fun and exciting ways to cause yourself bodily harm. Whether it is skiing, snowboarding, sledding, fat biking, playing ice hockey, or my favorite sport, black ice walking in the driveway, sooner or later it's bound to happen. Whether it is your shoulder, hip, knee or elbow that experiences the impact or twist, the next step is trying to figure out if you're really hurt or not. Chances are it's just something minor, but if you can't stand up and put weight on your leg, or if you can't lift or bend your arm after the crash, you might need to call for help and seek some orthopedic expertise. Most of us have a long list of old injuries STUFFED in our backpacks as we head out to experience these amazing Colorado activities, so it is also important to remember that old injuries and pre-existing conditions affect the likelihood for injury to our joints.
Make an Appointment
Denver Health now allows patients to schedule appointments directly with orthopedic providers, skipping the need for a referral from a primary care doctor. However, certain insurance plans might still require a referral including Medicare and Medicaid. This change simplifies access to orthopedic care, ensuring you can get the orthopedic help you need without unnecessary delays.
303-436-4949
Make an Appointment
Denver Health now allows patients to schedule appointments directly with orthopedic providers, skipping the need for a referral from a primary care doctor. However, certain insurance plans might still require a referral including Medicare and Medicaid. This change simplifies access to orthopedic care, ensuring you can get the orthopedic help you need without unnecessary delays.
303-436-4949
Most Common Knee Injuries
The most common types of knee injuries that we see are twisting and landing impact-type injuries where first we have to figure out if a bone is broken or if a soft tissue injury, like a ligament tear, has occurred. If you can't bear weight or fully bend and straighten your knee, you need to go and get it looked at and X-rays might be needed to see if there is a broken bone. Urgent care or the emergency room can provide this initial evaluation, and often patients are given a pair of crutches or a knee brace or both so that they can get around safely until they are able to get in and see an orthopedic specialist. An orthopedic specialist will examine your knee to determine if ligament injury or injury to the shock absorbing meniscus might be present. If this is suspected, an MRI scan will likely be ordered. In many cases, the orthopedic specialist will find that everything is OK with your joint, and something like a course of physical therapy and a return visit in a few weeks to check progress might be recommended. The most common knee injuries we see include medial collateral ligament sprains, ACL tears, meniscus tears and dislocations of the kneecap or Patella.
Most Common Shoulder Injuries
If your shoulder is injured acutely in a crash, potential injuries include a broken collarbone, separated shoulder – also known as an acromioclavicular separation, or possibly a shoulder dislocation or rotator cuff tendon tear. After an accident, these injuries are also evaluated first with X-rays to check for a broken bone, possibly an MRI scan to evaluate for a tendon tear or ligament injury, and follow up with an orthopedic specialist for examination and the recommended next steps.
Most Common Elbow Injuries
Common elbow injuries include elbow dislocations and fractures of the bones that make up the elbow as well as injury to the tendons and ligaments around the elbow. Initial X-rays are appropriate to ensure that the elbow is in correct position and stable to allow movement. Orthopedic examination and possibly MRI scan to evaluate the ligaments and tendons of the elbow might follow.
Most Common Hip Injuries
Hip injuries are also fairly common although are generally more violent given the size and strength of our hip joints. Hip dislocations can happen in skiing and mountain biking crashes, and fractures are not uncommon. These require urgent care and are typically are seen first by the ski patrol or require an ambulance trip to an emergency room. Traumatic tears of the hip labrum, which is like a gasket that deepens the hip socket, can happen and these often initially cause large amounts of pain. Hip injuries are evaluated by an orthopedic specialist with an examination and most likely an MRI scan.
How Orthopedic Specialists Can Help with Sports Injuries
Once Colorado takes its toll on the body with one of these injuries, seeing an orthopedic specialist to decide the next step in evaluation and care is often appropriate. The orthopedic specialist may recommend surgery to repair damaged structures or possibly reconstruct torn ligaments. The most important thing to remember is that we work together to optimize treatment so that we can quickly STUFF that new preexisting injury into our backpack and head right back out into the great Colorado winter to have fun, stay fit and active, and experience our great state.
Jerrod T. King, MD is chief of the Sports Medicine Team at Denver Health. He leads a world-class team of two fellowship trained sports surgeons, a fellowship-trained shoulder and elbow surgeon, world-class clinicians, along with physician assistants and nurses, all dedicated to getting you back to doing what you love.
