In Tokyo and on the slopes Looks like this year is shaping up to have some terrific snow. We hope everyone has a wonderful season and stay safe on the slopes. If you do manage to get injured, Club 360's physiotherapists are experienced in dealing with common skiing and snowboarding injuries such as knee, shoulder, wrist, lower back as well as concussion. We can diagnose your injury, set up a management plan, advice regarding bracing etc. and also refer to for imaging or ortho

On this episode I discuss the management of ACL tears, one of the common injuries we see during the winter and one that causes a significant degree of disability. If you are unlucky enough to have sustained an ACL tear, this episode is for you!! iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/tokyo-living/id1553980433?i=1000700011159 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6mXSKFCzlXgMQfvZyXgX0G?si=9DGSBqmbSYyDwuMOSCDqYw #tokyo #health #wellness #fitness #snow #ski #snowboard

The final injury we will discuss in this series is concussion. A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that causes a temporary disturbance in the function of the brain, and leads to symptoms such as dizziness/balance issues, headache, nausea, confusion, memory loss, grogginess and even psychological symptoms such as depression, anger, frustration, etc. Those in contact with a concussed individual may note delayed response time, memory loss in inconsistency, a d

Less commonly seen in winter sports are injuries to the neck. Similar to lower back injuries, acute onset of pain in the neck may follow a long day of unaccustomed activity, an odd or unexpected movement, or even a night’s sleep on a different sleeping surface. As with lower back injuries, provided there are no neural signs such as weakness or numbness in the hands or arms, then these problems can be managed conservatively and should settle in a number of weeks.  High-velocit

As with any sports, there is the risk of acute muscle strains with skiing and snowboarding.  Some of the common sights of muscle injury are:  The hamstring: often when a ski becomes stuck and the body is flung forwards, placing excessive stress on the back of the thigh. The quadriceps: often caused by a fall when the knees are bent under and the body bent back, placing the front of the thigh under excessive stretch. The adductors: the two skis move away from each other causin

Our last post discussed rotator cuff injuries. Due to the violent nature of skiing and snowboarding related falls, it is also not uncommon for us to see dislocations of the shoulder. A shoulder dislocation is where the head of the humerus (top of the arm bone), moves out of the normal confines of the shoulder joint socket (glenoid). The most common direction of dislocation is anterior (to the front), and the typical mechanism of injury is a combination of outwards rotation wi

We have previously discussed clavicle fractures and injuries to the AC joint. We also commonly see injuries to the rotator occur with skiing and snowboarding.  The rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles, the tendons of which intertwine with the capsule of the shoulder and help provide stability to the joint. Because they lie close to the joint they are effective as stabilizing muscles, but are quite small in comparison to other muscles in the region, and as such are vulnerable

Lower back pain is the most common complaint we deal with in orthopedic practice, and while it isn’t the most common winter sports injury, it is still possible to injure this area on the slopes.  Lower back pain may come on due to overuse, especially at the start of the season, when we are getting used to an unaccustomed activity again. Or symptoms may start following an acute injury, usually a hard or slightly awkward landing, or a rapid change of direction movement that the

We mentioned in the last post how twisting movements involving ski poles may cause injury to the wrist. Given the positioning of the thumb with these implements, it is also a common area of injury. The most common injury we see in this region is a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). So common is this injury that it is colloquially known as “skier’s thumb” (also “gamekeeper’s thumb in hockey). The ligament lies at the articulation between the thumb and the hand, and d

Another area that may be affected during a fall is the hand and wrist. This is usually the result of a fall onto an outstretched hand, or a falling mechanism involving twisting the hand and wrist around the ski pole. There are a number of different injuries that may occur to this region, but the two most common ones are a fracture of the scaphoid and an injury to the Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex (TFCC). A scaphoid fracture will result in pain on the thumb side of the wri

Less common than the clavicle fractures and AC joint injuries discussed in the previous posts, a fracture of the upper part of the arm (humerus) may occur with a direct fall onto the side of the arm, as well as with rapid twisting motions involving the shoulder.  These injuries may present similarly to other shoulder injuries such as rotator cuff strains (to be covered in a future post), but the telltale sign is significant bruising on the side of the arm. Any traumatic injur

We discussed in the previous post how a fall onto the side of the shoulder may cause damage to the AC joint. The same mechanism of injury may also cause a fracture to the clavicle (collarbone). Clavicle fractures are less commonly caused by a fall onto an outstretched hand or elbow.  The clavicle usually fractures in the middle third, the weakest part of the bone, and this will be indicated by the site of pain. There will often be a visual deformity caused by the fracture. An

With skiing and snowboarding, inevitably there is falling! The next few posts will discuss injuries that may occur during a fall. One common falling position is a onto the side of the shoulder. This mechanism will often cause damage to the Acromioclavicular (AC) joint; the joint between the collarbone and the tip of the shoulder blade. Injuries to this area will usually cause isolated pain on the tip of the shoulder, but many report pain down the side of the neck and the side

Last post we discussed ACL injuries, the granddaddy of knee pain. Equally common are medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries. The MCL crosses the inside of the knee, and provides stability to prevent valgus stress, the stress that would occur to the knee if you were to push one knee in towards the other from the outside, and also contributes to rotational stability. Forceful movement into valgus or rotation can cause ligament failure, and, unlike the ACL, we have more varie

The 3 letters of doom! ACL injuries are very common in sports, including winter sports. The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is one of 4 main ligaments that provide stability in the knee. It runs from the front of the tibia (shin bone) to the back of the femur (thigh bone), and functions to stop the tibia gliding forwards, and also contributes to controlling rotation. The ACL is often injured with a hyperextension (over-straightening) mechanism, or with forceful rotation and