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Show B-8 The Park Record Wed/Thurs/Fri, April 12-14, 2017 assemble New SeaSoN ~ New Space No shortcut for knee recovery PARK CITY come out of hiberNatioN aNd iNto a dyNamic work eNviroNmeNt! Taking a look at the the myths of knee health Phil Lindeman Summit Daily Co-Working Space Reception Services Private Offices Conference Rooms For details please contact Angela at 435-200-1312 info@assembleparkcity.com | www.assembleparkcity.com Located in Newpark @ Kimball Junction SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. — When Silvia Mittermüller injured her knee for the first time in 2007, the German-born pro snowboarder had one question in mind: How long until I’m back on a board? “At first I thought it wouldn’t be so bad because after a week I was running, jumping, dancing in high heels — I thought I got lucky,” said Mittermüller, a 33-year-old slopestyle veteran who has lived and trained in Breckenridge for more than a decade. “I didn’t know that if you have a stressed ACL and are somewhat strong, you can get by.” Mittermüller was in for a dose of harsh reality. Over the next three seasons, she battled with a new knee injury each year: partial tear on her right knee in 2007, full tear on the same knee at X Games Aspen in 2008, and then a full ACL tear plus menisci damage on her left knee at a California rail jam in 2009. After each injury, between daily physical therapy and a selfimposed water rehab program at the Breckenridge Recreation Center, Mittermüller struggled with the same questions: How long until I recover? How long until I compete? Should I be at the X Games? Can I? Will I ever be whole again? “I started thinking, ‘Maybe I should stop being a snowboarding person,’” said Mittermüller, who has competed at Dew Tour, X Games, the European Open and World Cup events across the globe. “Then I thought, ‘How many days on a snowboard are epic, and how many days are like this?’ I just want to do what my heart desires, and that’s to keep riding. That’s the path I took, but I just totally destroyed my knee.” After completely destroying her left knee in 2009, Mittermüller took nearly a full year to recover and recoup, both mentally and physically. She was forced to miss the first women’s slopestyle at the 2014 Olympics due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, but her knees stayed healthy until October 2016, when she partially tore her right ACL again and completely ripped the outer meniscus from the bone in Saas Fe, Switzerland, with the German national team. A few months later, she was hit by a snowboarder on one of her first visits back to the Woodward Copper park. But, again, Mittermüller bounced back. She recovered in time to place third at a Czech World Cup Olympic slopestyle qualifier in March and take sec- ond at the Breck Parks Spring Open on April 1. “Despite crazy knee surgery and being out almost all season — all the crap I’ve had in my life — I might have a realistic chance to do this Olympics thing at age 30-plus,” Mittermüller said. “That will be icing on the cake of this snowboarding career.” Mittermüller’s story shows there’s no simple shortcut for knee injury recovery, but there are plenty of roadmaps. Summit Daily talked with local athletes, physical therapists and orthopedic surgeons to bust common myths and misconceptions. Here’s what the paper discovered about pre-injury myths: Question:Are skiers and snowboarders equally at risk? Answer:In general, skiers are more likely to suffer knee and lower-body injuries, while snowboarders are more likely to break bones in their wrists, arms and upper body, said Paula Ashbaugh, a physical therapist at Avalanche Physical Therapy in Frisco. Snowboarders, however, aren’t immune to ligament tears and other knee damage. Look at Mittermüller: short or long landings on jumps caused the majority of her injuries. A 2009 sports medicine study showed that quad muscles are often stronger than knee ligaments, and so when a snowboarders comes up short — the equivalent of jumping from a three-story building — the muscles recoil with enough force to snap ligaments. Q:Are men and women are equally at risk for ACL and other knee injuries? A: While guys and gals both suffer from knee injuries, women are at greater risk. It comes down to anatomy. Most women’s hips are naturally larger and wider than men’s, Ashbaugh said, which leads to natural bowing and pressure at the knee joints. Women also have smaller ACLs and different, more upright posture than men that doesn’t protect ligaments as thoroughly. Q:Are skiing and snowboarding the most dangerous activities for knee, wrist and head injuries? A: Knee and other orthopedic issues are common at mountaintown medical centers, but they pale in comparison to motor vehicle and poisoning traumas. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 192,000 Americans died from trauma injuries in 2014. Of those deaths, 33,736 were related to motor vehicle accidents and 31,959 were due to accidental falls, including traumatic brain injuries. Skiing and snowboarding account for just a fraction of the total. Q: Is new ski equipment safer than rental or second-hand equipment? A: When it comes to equipment, it’s smarter to buy or rent skis and boots based on your ability, not a marketing campaign. Rental shops are trained to pair clients with the right gear, so lis- ten to your techs — they know what they’re talking about. Also trust them to set an appropriate DIN on your bindings. If the DIN is too high, it won’t release and will torque your knee into oblivion. If it’s too low, it can release unexpectedly and be just as dangerous. Q: Do shorter skied make people less likely to blow their ACL, MCL or anything else in their knees? A: It’s true that skiers are more prone to ACL injuries because of their equipment — giant levers on both feet can spell disaster during a fall — but the size and type of gear makes little difference, Ashbaugh said. If the lever on your leg gets torqued just right, the damage will be the same. Q: Can exercise prevent knee injuries during the ski season? A: Complicated, but false. This feels like a no-brainer: strength equals safety on the slopes. And it certainly helps, but Ashbaugh just needs to rattle off a list of pro skiers and snowboarders with chronic knee injuries to prove exercise isn’t preventative. “But what about Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller?” Ashbaugh said, referencing pros who have suffered nearly 10 combined knee injuries over their careers. “We see professional, world-class skiers tearing their ACLs. It might help you ski longer and last longer.” Here’s what the paper discovered about post-injury myths: Q: Is a hot tub the best way to ease pain? A: Immediately after an injury, your knee goes into healing mode: the surrounding skin, muscle and tissues turn puffy and inflamed in response to trauma. While a hot tub is relaxing for muscle soreness, it’s the last thing you want for joint trauma, said physical therapist Kyle Volkert, one of Ashbaugh’s coworkers at Avalanche in Frisco. It’s the same in the weeks immediately after surgery, when the extreme temperatures and bacteria of a hot tub can irritate tissue and sutures. Q: Is surgery necessary is the knee feels fine after a few weeks? A: Complicated. Truth is, not everyone needs to undergo ACL, MCL or other knee repairs, especially when local costs before insurance come close to $43,000. But, if your lifestyle revolves around activities — skiing, biking, hiking, basketball, tennis and dozens of other sports — surgeons and PTs all recommend surgery. Why? Simple: ligaments and tissue like the meniscus are slow to repair. Blood flow to these areas is poor, Ashbaugh said, and so partial tears are at risk of further injury for months and even years after the initial injury. Complete ACL tears will never fully recover on their own, Volkert added, and while the surrounding muscles will compensate for the injury, the knee joint will never quite be the same. |