1. Don’t use the wrist straps on your poles unless you’re in deep powder, You will usually find your pole again but you won’t be able to hold it without a fully-functioning UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament)!

2. Wear a helmet but don’t think it will improve your overall skiing ability – it won’t.

3. Tell the truth about your weight and ability when you rent your skis. Lying to the ski-rental guys may not be as dangerous as telling a few porkies before bungee-jumping but release tensions in bindings must be correct if you’re to avoid the risk of serious injury.

4. Opt for the carving skis. These are shorter which will reduce the risk of crossed tails and an ACL (acromio-clavicular joint) tearing fall.

5. When you do fall don’t try and get up when your skis are still moving or you might hear a holiday-ending ‘pop’!

6. Listen to all the usual pre-ski advice. Get ‘ski-fit’ before you go and make sure you balance the strength in your quads and hamstrings. Do a lot of stretching because big muscles cause short tendons – think of all those bodybuilders who can’t get their arms or legs straight! – which increases the chance of a tear. Warm up, not just with Gluwein, and don’t ski tired.

Accidents will happen so you can always contact Richard Sinnerton should you or one of your party return injured from the ski-slopes.

A concerned mother asked: “My 16 year son has a posterior sternoclavicular dislocation. This happened at school this year during a game of rugby. My local hospital is selecting conservative treatment. Having done a lot of research I have discovered that in all these rare cases a reduction is always used as a form of treatment. Can you please advise as to what you would consider necessary treatment to safe guard my son from any further long term difficulties?”

Shoulder expert Richard Sinnerton replied: “This is a very rare condition. I have only seen it myself once in 10 years and, although the books make it out to be highly problematic and fraught with danger, it really is not such a big deal. So as long as it stabilises there shouldn’t be any problems. Surgery is always avoided because of the high risk of complications. Shoulders in these cases mostly relocate very easily with a gentle manipulation.

If your son’s shoulder has been left dislocated then it is probably best to leave it where it is as the benefits of putting it back in place are probably outweighed by the risks of the surgery.”

If you have fallen off a horse, gone over the handle-bars or been up-ended and dumped unceremoniously in a rugby match and need surgery! Here’s the information you need.

There has been a sea-change in the management of shoulder trauma. In the last few years the treatment of shoulder injuries has changed for the better and we now know that significant improvement in outcomes can be achieved with surgery as opposed to the traditional method of ‘supervised neglect’ in an old-fashioned sling.

So, if you are unfortunate enough to fracture a collar-bone, dislocate a shoulder or disrupt the ACJ as a result of sporting prowess then you should be fully informed of the options available in order to maximise the chance of recovering a normal shoulder. With all that is available it is no longer acceptable to be told simply not to worry and that everything will be fine with a sling and a long wait!

This article by Richard Sinnerton FRCS (Orth) Consultant Shoulder Surgeon, 27 Harley Street explains the ‘state-of-the-art’ options available to treat three of the most common shoulder injuries giving you all the information you need should you fall off a horse, go over the handle-bars or get up-endedand dumped unceremoniously in a rugby match and need surgery!

Click on the link to download the Broken Shoulder PDF