As the weather picks up across the state, conditions on the slopes are pristine for winter athletes like skiers and snowboarders. But, think twice before you head up – ensuring you’re doing everything possible to prevent injury. Sports Medicine Physician, Dr. Andrea Matich, with MountainStar Healthcare’s Peak Orthopaedics, located on the campus of Lone Peak Hospital in Draper, joined FOX13’s The PLACE on Friday to remind everyone to stay safe and stay out of the Emergency Room.
Dr. Andrea Matich is a fellowship trained and board-certified sports medicine physician. She earned her medical degree from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine before completing a sports medicine fellowship at the University of Utah. Dr. Matich specializes in preventing, diagnosing and treating sports and exercise-related injuries. She has special expertise in sports concussion management as well as the treatment of osteoporosis and joint injections using fluoroscopic or ultrasound guidance.
Dr. Matich explained that skiers tend to have more knee injuries and snowboarders tend to have more upper extremity injuries.
“If you're thinking of skiing or snowboarding for the first time this winter, studies have shown that wearing a wrist guard while you’re snowboarding can help lower your risk of having a wrist fracture or an injury,” Dr. Matich said. “For skiers, make sure that you work on conditioning your strength and balance, especially with hip and core, to try to help lower your risk of falls.”
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Dr. Matich asks winter athletes to remember to do four things when it comes to injury prevention as they head out on the slopes:
1. Check Your Equipment
2. Know Your Environment
3. Make Good Choices
4. Participate in Conditioning
Prepare Yourself & Your Equipment
There are so many factors that can change – from season to season or during a single season itself – that winter athletes should be aware of and check in order to see whether those factors have affected equipment before heading out on the slopes.
“If my foot grows, if I lose or gain weight, or if I have surgery, that all might change some of the swelling in the foot and how things fit,” Dr. Matich said. “It can be very difficult to get an appropriate-fitting boot, so make sure to get to know some experts with boot fit and have your bindings checked.”
Having the ski boot binding set correctly is very important, Dr. Matich also says. “If we do start to fall, we want that ski boot to release so we don’t have the lever on it twist the leg.”
Dr. Matich advises snowboarders – specifically beginners – wear wrist guards to reduce the risk of a wrist injury or a wrist fracture
The piece of equipment everyone should be wearing? Helmets.
“Helmets are crucially important. I recommend them for everyone. While they may not lower your risk of concussion, they can lower your risk of a laceration or a fracture,” Dr. Matich said.
Lastly, wear appropriate clothing. “If we’re cold, our neuromuscular control goes down, and the risk of injury increases.” Make sure to have layers on, good socks, gloves and stay warm! Low peripheral temperature increases risk of injury.
When it comes to knowing your environment, be sure to know the terrain and make certain you have proper visibility.
“Check weather conditions. If it’s getting icy or super heavy snow, we know the risk of injury goes up,” Dr. Matich said. “Be sure to know and follow all rules posted at ski resorts, as well.”
Another way to prepare yourself for a healthy winter ski or snowboarding season is to make sure you’re actively participating in physical conditioning, especially when considering ACL injury prevention programs.
“It is important to focus on strength of your core, hips, quads and hamstrings. Think about engaging in plyometrics,” Dr. Matich recommends. “It’s also really important to work on rotational stability and balance through the hip and the pelvis.”
Make Good, Safe Choices
To ensure a safe day on the slopes, you will want to make safe decisions before and during your exercise on the mountain.
“We have certain choices that we can make: eat breakfast, get enough sleep the night before; if we are tired and fatigued, our muscles aren’t going to control our skis as well,” Dr. Matich said.
When skiing or snowboarding, slow down. Dr. Matich says if someone falls while traveling at a higher velocity, it’s easier to get out of control. It is more difficult to be aware of the terrain and the slope. Slowing down will inevitably help prevent injuries.
“Only 2% of knee injuries were the result of collisions with another skier, so the majority of these comes from just being out of control or maybe in a condition that we’re not expert with yet. That’s a behavioral choice that we can modify,” Dr. Matich added.
“Have fun and don't get injured. That way we can keep you on the slopes and out of the ER,” she reminded viewers.
If you’re unable to avoid ski or snowboarding injuries, Dr. Matich is here to help.
“If you feel like you tweaked something and you go home, remember to ice and elevate it and rest. Say the next day you wake up and it’s really swollen, if you have limited range of motion, those are things that you should get checked out, especially if there’s any numbness or if you feel like there might be a nerve injury,” Dr. Matich said. “If you have a musculoskeletal injury of any kind, I would recommend you go to a sports medicine clinic like us at Peak Orthopaedics! We are a multi-specialty orthopedic clinic and we see a lot of skiers and snowboarders. We take care of a lot of athletes and are happy to take care of you, as well!”
Dr. Matich optimizes evidence-based sports medicine care to find the non-surgical solutions her patients need to get back to their active lifestyle. Dr. Matich grew up as a dancer and also taught dance, which gave her the desire to become a sports medicine physician in order to find techniques that improve an athlete's performance and prevent injury.
Services Offered at Peak Orthopaedics
Each physician – skilled orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine specialists, alike – at the Peak Orthopaedic Clinic has been trained in their specific area of joint care. All physicians at the clinic have more than 10 years of experience treating patients in and around West Jordan, South Jordan, Herriman, Sandy and Draper.
Every service includes individualized care plans with both surgical and nonsurgical joint care options for every area of the body, including:
· Foot and ankle surgery
· Hand, wrist and elbow surgery
· Hip surgery
· Knee surgery
· Shoulder surgery
· Sports medicine
Peak Orthopaedics at Lone Peak Hospital
96 Kimballs Lane, Building 3, Suite 207
Draper, UT 84020
Phone: (801) 576-2300
Peak Orthopaedics offers same day consults with a joint specialist for all new injuries. You can be seen today or the very next business day. For more information about this clinic, visit PeakOrthoClinic.com.
Lone Peak Hospital is one of eight MountainStar Healthcare hospitals in Utah.
