| FROM an orthopaedic and sports medicine point | | | | Fortunately, the condition is easy to treat |
| of view the most useful thing a skier can do | | | | either with a programme of physiotherapy and |
| post season is to maintain fitness and treat | | | | or a course of up to three injections. If the |
| any injuries. | | | | condition is allowed to persist it usually |
| | | | deteriorates steadily and can lead to a |
| Most of us who go skiing sustain minor | | | | complete tear in the tendon. |
| injuries in various tumbles while on holiday | | | | |
| and expect the residual discomfort/bruising | | | | The second most common complaint you are wise |
| swelling to resolve itself. Fortunately, it | | | | not to ignore is that of ongoing symptoms of |
| does so in the vast majority of cases with | | | | pain, swelling, clicking or giving way |
| most skiers treating themselves with a degree | | | | following a minor knee injury If you had |
| of neglect, rest, ice and | | | | sustained a major ligament injury to your |
| anti-inflammatories. | | | | knee while skiing you would certainly have |
| | | | known all about it and would probably have to |
| This is probably entirely appropriate for the | | | | be blood wagoned down and possibly flown |
| most part. However, there are a few common, | | | | home. |
| persistent or nagging injuries that are best | | | | |
| not ignored. | | | | It is, however, possible to sustain |
| | | | relatively minor cartilage tears in the knee |
| A common injury among skiers and snowboarders | | | | which can grumble on for months with symptoms |
| alike is a fall on to the shoulder or a fall | | | | as I have described above. If you have such |
| involving the shoulder. This can produce a | | | | knee symptoms after a minor skiing injury |
| common condition of subacromial impingement | | | | then I would recommend referral to a local |
| syndrome (painful arc syndrome). This is a | | | | orthopaedic surgeon with an interest in |
| condition manifested by people experiencing | | | | sports medicine. He or she is likely to |
| pain when their arm is utilized up at around | | | | investigate with an MRI scan to confirm the |
| shoulder height or once they take their arm | | | | diagnosis and can either put your mind at |
| right up into full elevation the pain either | | | | rest by saying that there is no evidence of |
| disappears or subsides. | | | | any cartilage injury and that your symptoms |
| | | | will settle, or that the scan may confirm the |
| The pathology with this condition is of an | | | | diagnosis, in which case arthroscopic surgery |
| injury to a tendon in the shoulder called the | | | | will cure you quite quickly |
| rotator cuff which becomes either partly torn | | | | |
| or simply inflamed. In either case it swells | | | | If you leave such meniscal tears without |
| and this swollen enlarged tendon gets caught | | | | treatment the tears can extend and lead to |
| as it runs through a bony ligamentous tunnel | | | | secondary degenerative change. |
| in the shoulder. The condition becomes a bit | | | | |
| of a vicious circle in that the more the | | | | In summary, therefore, any symptoms from |
| tendon is swollen the more it rubs and so on | | | | minor injuries sustained while skiing that |
| and so forth. | | | | persist for more than six weeks should be |
| | | | taken seriously. |