Skiing is a safe and fun endeavor that the whole family can enjoy. Nobody wants to get injured while skiing and taking a few precautions can mean the difference between a great day on the slopes and the end of your ski season. Follow the tips below, in addition to the recommendations of the National Ski Patrol to stay safe.
Patients often ask me about PRP. PRP stands for platelet rich plasma. It is a liquid that is obtained from a patients’ blood. The blood is drawn from a patient’s vein. A centrifuge is then used to separate out the parts of the blood.
As summer approaches, and we change our activities from skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing to hiking, running, swimming and biking, the risks of acute (sudden) sprains (ligament tear) and strains (muscle/tendon tear) rises. A ligament connects a bone to a bone. A tendon connects a muscle to a bone. Both a sprain and strain can be either microscopic tearing (Grade I) or full thickness tearing (Grade III). The initial approach to self-treatment, regardless if you are dealing with a Grade I sprain or a Grade III strain, is the same.
A decade of medical training (4 years of medical school, 5 years of residency and 1 year of fellowship) has put me in contact with hundreds, if not thousands, of medical doctors, including surgeons. This training has been across the United States from Washington, DC to Chicago to Los Angeles. I have learned from and observed doctors from all parts of this country and all walks of life. Throughout that time, I have witnessed countless good surgeons. What made them good?
Tommy John Surgery, also know as elbow ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction, was invented in 1974 by Dr. Frank Jobe. Prior to the invention of the surgery, pitchers were often left with no options when they tore their UCL. The main function of the native UCL is to resist valgus forces (forearm moving away from the body relative to the arm). In pitchers, it is under the most stress when the pitcher cocks back his arm to throw and begins accelerating into the throw.
