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Early season ski injuries
Published
6 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Jeff Daniels EBS Medical Columnist
Every year since Thanksgiving of 1994, the ski season at the Medical Clinic of Big Sky kicks off a little differently based on skier volume, the terrain that’s open, and the number of injuries finding their way to the clinic.
With the snow and cold temperatures that came to southwest Montana in October and into November, it looked like we would be headed for a great start to the 2017-2018 ski season. It did get warmer and rainy the week before opening day, but Nov. 23 provided for a much grander opening than in the previous three or four years. People were skiing off the Tram on opening day, compared to last year when just the Explorer chairlift was spinning on opening day, accompanied by a line snaking all the way up to the ski patrol building and our clinic.
The parking lot looked full on Thanksgiving Thursday, and within an hour, a man from Bozeman walked in with a big gash in his knee. He was skiing down the Bowl when his skis got stuck and he ejected into some rocks. He ruined a good pair of ski pants that day!
His British accent matched that of my student, Nicole Erasmus, of South Africa. The patient was actually a Big Sky veteran of many years, and we shared some memories of things past as we sutured a small hole in his knee. Then he pulled down his bloody pants leg and went back out skiing, taking another student, Amanda Mullen, who’d helped with the suturing, back up to the Bowl for a couple of runs.
I warned him to get it all in today, because when a knee gets deeply cut, the next day will usually be fraught with pain and swelling, a reaction that most knees give when the laceration involves some of the internal sacs, or bursa, of the knee joint.
We sat around the rest of the day, and luckily for everybody out there, we didn’t treat any more accidents at the clinic that day. We had to wait until the Saturday after Thanksgiving for more accidents to happen. Our first patient was an MSU student who fell hard onto his left shoulder, causing significant swelling as well as pain and disability, with only a mild degree of separation of his acromioclavicular (A-C) joint.
Then we got a rancher from Cody with a very swollen knee, a good pop when he fell, and the instability that goes along with a lot of torn ligaments. We diagnosed a completely torn ACL and MCL, and he had to leave on crutches. We had another patient with a torn ACL later that day who was able to walk out in a brace. Both face the prospect of surgery to reconstruct their ACLs.
A face plant into the hard-packed snow sent one young man to the clinic, wondering if we had to straighten out his nose. We could not demonstrate any bony fractures, and the swelling on one side of his nose made it look a little displaced, but in actuality, his nose was in the proper position. It looked normal again when the swelling dissipated.
Our last patient of the day presented with incredible pain in the shoulder after a fall directly onto it. He was literally writhing in pain. An X-ray showed a separated A-C joint, and a quick jab of local anesthesia into the separation greatly lessened his pain.
After Saturday, things got awfully quiet in the clinic again. I guess I’ll have to get excited about giving flu shots until the influx of tourists in mid-December.
The Medical Clinic is open seven days per week on the Mountain, and Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the Town Center.
Dr. Jeff Daniels was the recipient of the 2015 Chamber of Commerce Chet Huntley Lifetime Achievement Award and has been practicing medicine in Big Sky since 1994, when he and his family moved here from New York City. A unique program he implements has attracted more than 800 medical students and young doctors to train with the Medical Clinic of Big Sky.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
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march, 2024
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Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
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Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
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born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
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the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
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Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
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February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
Tickets are available online at www.vergetheater.com
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15 (Friday) 7:00 pm - 30 (Saturday) 8:30 pm
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Verge Theater
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Area parents are encouraged to bring their young children to Symphony Storytime with a Bassoon which will be presented at the Bozeman Public Library’s Community Room during
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Area parents are encouraged to bring their young children to Symphony Storytime with a Bassoon which will be presented at the Bozeman Public Library’s Community Room during their regular Toddler and Preschool Storytime on Wednesday, March 20, at 10:15 a.m. The free program, presented by the Bozeman Symphony is especially for children ages 3 to 5. Children will be able to listen to Montana Shakespeare in the Parks actor Emma Rather, who will be joined by Bozeman Symphony Bassoonist Sam Macken. The goal of the program is to encourage a love of music, literacy, and discovery. Additional programs are scheduled at the Library on April 10 and June 12. For more information, visit www.bozemansymphony.org or call 406-585-9774.
Time
(Wednesday) 10:15 am - 10:45 am
Location
Bozeman Public Library
626 E. Main St, Bozeman, MT