ORCA Orthopedic Blog

Mention Alaska, and for many people, the first mental picture may be of a snowy wilderness. While that’s true part of the year, there are also long days of summer sunlight. Unlike those who live in more southerly areas, however, summer sunlight in Alaska doesn’t have a big effect on your vitamin D levels. Here’s why that matters – courtesy of the Orthopedic Research Clinic of Alaska. The Sunshine Vitamin Vitamin D is vitally important to your overall health. Sure, it has a lo

Anyone who lives in Alaska should understand the potential risks from wilderness injuries. Although Alaska has towns and cities, traveling often involves crossing wilderness areas. Campers, hikers, and hunters also face the potential of injury in the backcountry. Here are some of the most common wilderness injuries and some prevention strategies, courtesy of the Orthopedic Research Clinic of Alaska. Falls Injuries from falls can run the gamut – a sprained wrist, a broken tibi

Most of us don’t look forward to surgery, but oftentimes it is non-negotiable. The best we can do is to prepare ourselves for a speedy recovery! The more we ready ourselves for post-surgery healing, the easier the recovery may be on our bodies. Here are 4 tips to restore your body to be as good as new! Follow the doctor’s instructions. Make sure you see your doctor when scheduled and closely follow their advice. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and be honest about how you’re

ACL injuries are very common, especially in women. Whether you are a runner, skier, basketball player, or otherwise it is important that you know what you can do to help prevent ACL injuries. There is no sure way to prevent any injury, but these tips can help reduce the risk of ACL injury. Stretching- Be sure to keep your muscles limber. This allows your bones and joints to work the way that they are meant to. Stretch every part of your body, focusing on your leg muscles, esp

With all of this fluctuation in weather this winter, there are bound to be some icy roads as well as everything else! Being cautious with your choices of winter activities, you can still manage to get out there and have some fun! Work comes first. Before the fun starts, we have to consider things like shoveling the driveway and distributing gravel or ice melt. Make sure you only shovel amounts of snow that you can handle and to lift with your knees to reduce the chance of bac

Joint pain can make everyday activities much more difficult than they need to be. The winter months can be the worst, with the cold weather, joint pain can be hard to handle. Glucosamine: This supplement has two types, hydrochloride and sulfate. Glucosamine is used to keep the cartilage between the joints healthy. Since glucosamine is already in the body naturally, one should consider taking this supplement at an old age as glucosamine levels drop with age. Omega-3 Oils: Ther

The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are getting colder. This can only mean one thing – winter is coming. During these colder months of fall you want to continue getting outdoors and exercising. Here are a few tips for running in cold weather. Gear up You’re going to want to protect your feet from cold, wet slush. So make sure your shoes are water repellant and wear warm socks. The rest of your body may stay a decent temperature since you are exercising, but wear

Knee pain is very frustrating to those that suffer from it. Since you use your knees in many different ways throughout the day, the pain seems to never end. Walking up a flight of stairs can put up to four times the weight on your knee joint! There are a few things you can do to help, and you can apply these knee strengthening suggestions almost anywhere! Chair Knee Extensions – While sitting, rest your foot on another chair or stable object so that it is slightly raised. Pus

You got injured. It probably makes you a little irritated that you have to sit out some games, or stop training for a period of time. The one thing that you need to do right now is stop thinking about the negative. Being down about the injury itself or what you could have done. Positive thoughts are one of the most important things to recovery, not matter what you are going through. You have to take time to heal, but if it persists for about 10 days  after proper rest – go se

The time is coming for football pads to be broken out at high schools all around. Being a sport with one of the highest risks of injury due to it being such a high-impact sport, it is one of the reasons we wanted to make you aware of injuries that can come from the game that many love to play and spectate all over. Here are a couple of the most common injuries related to the sport – without touching on head injuries. ACL & MCL Injuries The ACL is mostly injured during front

The heat! This summer has been crazy for the completely non-typical heat we are having, but who is loving it? I think a lot of us are, but we also need to remember that since we aren’t used to it, we need to be extra careful. Especially if you might be part of the aging crowd! The fun isn’t ruined, but careful planning is needed so that it can truly be enjoyed by all. Soaking up the all-important vitamin D during summer months is easy during the summer here. It is necessary f

You know that it can happen. Lower back pain will come after a few long days of deep sea fishing fun – or even just one! Here are a couple ways you can still catch the fish, but avoid injury that can come after. Follow Your Fish. Do not twist and turn your torso out of shape. Move with the fish, and this means your feet! Staying with your fish, and in front of it if you can, will help keep your fish on the line as well. Avoiding sudden sideways movements that can cause stress

Back – this is most common in those who find themselves behind the batter as the catcher.  These people are constantly squatting and leaning forward for longer periods of time.  Muscle strains and lower back pains are associated with this due to overreaching and quick jolts to the body. Knee – any sport with sudden starting and stopping will involve knee injuries.  Players need to beware of the dreaded ACL and MCL injuries along with tendonitis.  This is a problem in the knee