Vail Summit Orthopaedics Blog

How to Prevent Overuse Cycling Injuries  

by Dr. Greg Poulter, Vail Summit Orthopaedics

As we head into summer here in the high country, we at Vail-Summit Orthopaedics, like you, will start heading out on our bikes.  Unlike our friends who live at lower elevations, we can not ride outside all year.  With a short riding season we are tempted to get all of our fitness in a short period.  This sudden increase in our time riding and the repetitive nature of cycling makes us susceptible to overuse injuries.  An overuse injury will certainly detract from your enjoyment on the bike, but it also threatens to shorten or end your season as well. 

Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn underwent successful surgery Sunday and is resting comfortably. According to U.S. Women’s Alpine Ski Team Head Physician Dr. Bill Sterett of Vail-Summit Orthopaedics, the surgery conducted at the Vail Valley Surgery Center went well and he is optimistic for a full recovery. Read the entire article here: http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20130210/SPORTS/130219988/1078&parentprofile=1055

VAIL, CO (Feb. 10) – Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) underwent successful surgery Sunday and is resting comfortably. According to U.S. Women’s Alpine Ski Team Head Physician Dr. Bill Sterett of Vail-Summit Orthopaedics, the surgery conducted at the Vail Valley Surgery Center went well and he was optimistic for a full recovery.

HIGHLIGHTS

In conclusion, skiing and snowboarding is a recreational sport, and continues to statistically remain a relatively safe sport as evidenced by the huge numbers of people who participate. Staying reasonably fit, having an awareness of others around you, staying in control of your body, and not regularly “trying things” (like leaving the earth without a plan), makes skiing and snowboarding a rewarding lifetime sport that keeps you fit, active and healthy.

This is the last part of a series where we talk with Dr. Rick Cunningham about new trends in ACL tears and how to prevent one.

VSO: What can women do to help prevent an ACL tear?

Dr. Cunningham: Keeping strong but more importantly preventing imbalances in your musculature. In a lot my athletic patients, they do activities that are quadriceps dominant, but they neglect their gluteal and hamstring strengthening. Gluteal (=buttock) strengthening is critical as these muscle prevent your knee from falling into that knockneed (=valgus) alignment which places increases stresses across the ACL. Core strengthening is also critical so that athletes land directly over their feet and not land in the back seat which again stresses the ACL.

VSO recently interviewed Dr. Cunningham on the topic of ACL tears. We continue the discussion here:

VSO: Are there other injuries you see that differ from male to female? 

Dr. Cunningham: Because women's tissues tend to be more lax (with men having stiffer ligaments), I see women have more shoulder instability as well (ie. shoulder subluxations). I probably see more males who dislocate their shoulders but this is traumatic (ie. major wreck in the terrain park) whereas a young female athlete (ie. volleyball player) may present with a shoulder that can slide partially out of the socket (=subluxation) but they have not had any major injury that caused it.

How to Prevent an Injury

Preventing injuries varies on your experience. Beginners, especially snowboarders, have to pad up. The “whiplash” of a beginner snowboard injury is fast and unpredictable, with common head injuries as you fall back. Wearing a helmet and wrist guards will keep you out of the hospital.

Stretching also can help prevent muscle tears, tendon tears and overuse-type injuries associated with using muscles uncommonly stressed. These tendons and muscles are routinely tested while skiing and snowboarding especially among the weekend warriors or the visitors who ski once a year.

VSO recently interviewed Dr. Cunningham on the topic of ACL tears. We continue the discussion here:

VSO: Why are women more at risk for an ACL tear?

Here I continue my discussion on skier and snowboarder injuries:

Above all else, most of our surgeries are the result of one party or another being “out of control”. Anecdotally, after speaking to thousands of recently injured patients, the most common descriptions of an accident is one of the following:

VSO recently interviewed Dr. Cunningham on the topic of ACL tears. Here is part of that interview:

VSO: What percentage of female patients vs. male patients do you see with ACL tears? Have you noticed an increase in female patients in your office?