St. Vrain Valley Athletics

Front Range Orthopedis is the proud official medical provider to St. Vrain Valley School District athletes.  We provide athletic training services to our local high schools, along with physician coverage at sporting events.

Front Range Orthopedics would like to congratulate all the athletes and coaches this fall on a tremendous year. Our staff has enjoyed the fall season of sports and the success of the schools.  The St. Vrain Valley Schools have competed at a high level through out the state in many sports events including tennis, volleyball, softball, soccer and football.

Please help us in supporting the 4 local football teams who will be competing in the state football playoffs this weekend.

• Class 1A: Lyon Lions @ Burlington Cougars 11/19/11 @ 100pm
• Class 3A: D’Evelyn Jaguars @ Frederick Warriors 11/19/11 @ 100pm
• Class 3A: Silver Creek Raptors @ Lewis-Palmer Rangers 11/18/11 @ 700pm
• Class 4A: Longmont Trojans @ Castle View Sabercats 11/18/11 @ 700pm

Good luck to all the St. Vrain Valley School athletic teams in the state playoffs. Remember Front Range Orthopedic’s staff of Athletic Trainers and Orthopedic Surgeons are here for your orthopedic needs to keep our athletes playing safely to compete at a high level.

New Technology for Total Ankle Replacements

Total Ankle Replacement

Each year about two million Americans visit the doctor for ankle pain from arthritis to fractures. An estimated 50,000 people each year experience end-stage ankle arthritis. Until lately, such patients did not have great options to treat this debilitating problem outside of an ankle fusion surgery.  Now another aging joint is fast becoming a candidate for replacement. This year, 4,400 patients are expected to undergo surgery to replace arthritic or injured ankles with artificial joints. Dr. Koldenhoven is the leading foot and ankle specialist in Boulder County performing this procedure with the latest technology from Wright Medical called the INBONE Total Ankle System. Dr. Koldenhoven’s patients have had great success with pain relief, retained native ROM in the joint, and the ability to return to an active and enjoyable lifestyle following the surgical procedure.

New Steps to Help Prevent Knee Injuries in Teen Sports

The following is article was found in a recent Wall Street Journal publication. The article portrays a great understanding on the importance of injury prevention programs and the increased  prevalence of ACL injuries in our active youth. It is very important as medical providers, coaches, and parents to give our active youth the tools to keep kids active at a high level, while injury free.

A torn knee ligament is one of the most debilitating injuries that routinely hit young athletes. Now, medical researchers are deciphering why women are at much greater risk for the problem than men and how it can be prevented.

An estimated 90,000 varsity high-school and college athletes a year suffer an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, which connects the thigh bone to the shin bone. Women are between four and six times as likely as men who play the same sports to be injured, partly because they rely more on ligaments to compensate for less-developed muscles, researchers say. The riskiest sports for ACL tears are soccer, basketball, volleyball, football and skiing, all of which involve sudden stops, changes in direction and jumps.

An ACL tear can have big consequences. Surgeons usually replace the torn ligament with a tendon from another part of the patient’s body or from a cadaver. Months of recovery time follow. And years later, patients, especially women, face an increased risk of osteoarthritis. Partial ACL tears may heal without surgery.

Spine Update

Dr. Gerlach Operating

Front Range Orthopedic’s spine team consists of 2 fellowship trained spine surgeons; Dr. Sam Smith and Dr. Matt Gerlach, experienced with cutting edge surgical and non-surgical treatment options to help you get back to a pain free lifestyle.

The eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion, or XLIF®, and MAS® TLIF procedures are minimally invasive surgical techniques that Dr. Gerlach and Dr. Smith perform to provide relief to the appropriate patients who have lived with back or leg pain through failed conservative treatments, including steroid injections, physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, and/or pain medication. About 10 million adults suffer from chronic back and leg pain each year, making it the number one cause of healthcare expenditures in the U.S. Most patients’ spine disorders are related to degenerative conditions that can result in spinal instability and intrusion into the spinal cord and surrounding nerves. This minimally invasive procedure can be performed to treat a number of clinical conditions, such as spondylolisthesis, adult degenerative scoliosis, spinal stenosis, and degenerative disc disease.

The minimally invasive XLIF® and TLIF procedures may result in:

• Less tissue disruption
• Minimal blood loss
• Faster recovery times – walking the same day of surgery and return to work within weeks.
• Reduced average length of hospital stays for patients

Minimally invasive spine surgery is certainly the way of the future in improving patient outcomes with spine surgical treatment.

Welcome to Our Blog

Front Range Orthopedics looks forward to entering the world of “blogging”.

Our physicians, physician assistants, athletic trainers, and the management team is dedicated to bring you with the latest information, news, research within the orthopedic and healthcare industry.

We hope our communication with you gives you the opportunity to become a more informed advocate for your healthcare needs.  Beyond the blogging world, our practice strives give our patients the highest quality care and service leading to a happier and healthier lifestyle.

We hope you enjoy the blog. Stay tuned to our frequent posts.

Please inform us of topics you would like us to write about to peak your interest level.