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