Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w. d i s t i n c t ly m o n ta n a . c o m 53 what PErCEntagE of your PraCtICE PErtaInS to SPortS MEdICInE and InJurIES? KlEPPS: It depends on what you mean by sports medicine. If we are only talking college and younger athletes then the percentage is probably not that high because fortunately most are able to stay healthy. However, if you count week- end warriors, workman's comp injuries, and farm and ranch injuries, which I do because these patients have the same mindset — to get fixed and get back to their activity — then this is actually a large part of our practice. Many folks with shoulder problems are elderly with rotator cuff or arthritic problems. So, I would say our practice is 50% sports made up of younger patients or active adults with injuries of the shoulder, knee, or elbow. The other 50% is made up of elderly folks with shoulder issues as mentioned. I also have a unique elbow practice in that I am the only physician in the area who will take care of the pitching injury known as a Tommy John injury, so I see a fair amount of pitchers and baseball players from all over the state. My partners — Dr. Shenton, Dr. Phipps, and Dr. Elliot — have practices that most likely consist of 75% sports injuries. They each have their unique aspects such as cartilage and meniscus implants for Dr. Shenton, sports injuries in the foot and ankle or knee for Dr. Elliot, and concussions and non-surgical issues such as stress fractures for Dr. Phipps. aMrInE: Greater than 90% of my practice has an association with sports medicine either via sports/activity related ill- nesses or injuries. lEgrand: My practice ranges from ACL reconstructions in 17-year-old athletes to rotator cuff repairs in 75-year-old ranchers. Within this definition, approximately 90 percent of my practice is sports medicine and associated injuries. what Should SoMEonE looK for whEn SEEKIng an orthoPEdIC PhySI- CIan for a SPort InJury? lEgrand: For most orthopedic conditions, repetition is key to improve results, reduce complications and typically reduce costs. For that reason, volume is one of the more important things to look for when seeking care for a sports injury. If your surgeon does a high volume of ACL reconstructions a year, he or she is more likely to accurately diagnose your knee injury, provide you with the full range of treatment options, and where surgery is indicated, provide technically proficient care. Another factor to evaluate is fellowship training. After the standard five years of orthopedic residency training, ortho- pedic surgeons can choose to do a fellowship in one of many areas, including sports medicine. This fellowship provides a year of subspecialty training on both the common and unusual sports medicine conditions and helps ensure com- fort with most related issues. KlEPPS: I really think they need to look for a physician who specializes in the area of their injury. As stated, not all sports specialists focus on the same area. The reason for this is the field of sports injuries has exploded with us now recogniz- dr. StEvEn J. KlEPPS ortho Montana Billings www.montanabones.com (406) 237-5050 Dr. Klepps is a fellowship- trained and board-certified orthopedic physician. He spe- cializes in sports medicine with an emphasis on shoulder and elbow disorders. He combines advanced surgical techniques, with his interest in on-field injuries, athlete biomechanics, and rehabilitation. Dr. Klepps is a partner at the largest orthope- dic practice in the state, Ortho Montana in Billings. dr. alEx lEgrand BrIdgEr orthPEdICS and SPortS MEdICInE Bozeman www.Bridgerorthopedic.com (406) 587-0122 Alex LeGrand is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, fellowship- trained in Sports Medicine. He is an active US ski and snowboard physi- cian and is the head team physician for MSU. He practices at Bridger Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. dr. roBErt aMrInE MISSoula BonE & JoInt, llC Missoula www.Missoulaboneandjoint.com (406) 829-5574 Dr. Robert Amrine is a fellowship trained non-surgical sports medicine specialist. He treats patients of all ages with acute or chronic orthope- dic injuries such as sports related concussion management, overtraining, pre-participation physical examina- tions, endurance athlete medicine, and musculoskeletal ultrasound

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