Injury Overview

The shoulder is the most dynamic joint in the body. The shoulder joint is composed of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone), which are held together by muscles, tendons and ligaments. Due to the extreme mobility, the shoulder has high susceptibility to injury.

Athletic Injuries

It is commonly known that athletes suffer from shoulder, knee and elbow injuries more frequently than most individuals. The increased exposure of athletics and the increased forces that the body experiences during sports place athletes at higher risk for injury. Some sports activities result in overuse type injuries while other sports result in more acute, traumatic type injuries. Each has its own unique pattern of symptoms and clinical findings and thus its own necessary treatment. These specific clinical patterns are recognizable to experienced sub-specialists such as Dr. Millett and our team.

You can trust Dr. Millett and our team to make the proper diagnosis and to administer timely treatment so that you the athlete can return to your sport quickly and safely. If you should require surgery for your athletic injury, Dr. Millett typically uses advanced arthroscopic techniques and other minimally-invasive orthopedic treatments as they allow faster recovery and less scarring. There are also unique aspects to treating athletes such as the specific sport, the timing within the season, and the level of the athlete that we always consider in our decision-making process.

We have treated athletes from the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, PGA, X-Games, and the Olympics (see the News section). Our clinic is known throughout the world for our dedication, commitment, and experience in sports medicine. In addition to general sports medicine problems, Dr. Millett has a substantial expertise in treating shoulder injuries in throwers and shoulder injuries in contact athletes and has ongoing research in these areas. Furthermore, Dr. Millett and our team also have particular interest in the treatment and prevention of youth and adolescent sports injuries. We treat a large number of recreational and youth athletes, and while we can usually help these aspiring athletes to get back to their sporting activities, our ultimate goal is to reduce or perhaps even eliminate all sports injuries in this age group. Dr. Millett currently serves on the National Steering Committee to prevent youth sports injuries (http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/about/steering-committee.aspx), where he is actively engaged not only in research and education to prevent youth sports injuries but also in developing their winter sports injury prevention program.

Traumatic Injuries

Traumatic injuries are among the most common of all injury types. Most of us will at some point experience some type traumatic injury to our shoulder, knee, or elbow. Traumatic injuries can occur at any given time from sports, accidents, or falls. The types of traumatic events we routinely see include simple slips and falls such as those on the ice or snow, collisions from sports such as football or hockey, ski and snowboard crashes, bicycle wrecks, and motor vehicle accidents. Traumatic injuries can usually be placed into 3 distinct categories that includes (1) Broken bones (Fractures of the shoulder area), (2) Shoulder Dislocations, and (3) Soft tissue injuries. Some of the more common traumatic injury patterns that we see and treat include:

Shoulder injuries such as dislocations where the ball pops out of the socket, separations (AC joint injury), collarbone (clavicle) fractures, proximal humerus fractures (upper arm bone), and rotator cuff tears;
Elbow injuries such as biceps tears and ruptures
Knee injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, knee cartilage (meniscal and chondral) tears, tibial plateau fractures (upper knee bone), and tibial shaft fractures.

These types of injuries always require skilled orthopaedic care and often require urgent or even emergent surgery to allow one to have a full functional recovery. Some of these injuries can be seen in the office; others will need to be evaluated more urgently in the emergency room. Having been actively involved in covering the on-call, emergent orthopaedic trauma in Boston and in Vail, Dr. Millett and our team have extensive experience treating fractures and other traumatic injuries and can care for the entire spectrum of orthopaedic injuries from those that are relatively minor to those that are life or limb threatening.

Arthritis and Degenerative Conditions

Joints can break down for a variety of reasons such as simply from your age with the wear and tear of daily use, from the overuse that occurs with sports or work, or from post-traumatic conditions where there was a specific injury to the joint. Arthritic and degenerative conditions therefore can affect any joint in the body, but we have particular experience with the the shoulder, knee, elbow, and hip. When arthritis occurs, your joints become inflamed and swollen, and your typical presenting symptoms will include pain, stiffness, swelling, and difficulty with routine activities such as walking, raising your arm, or sleeping. If one looks at the joint surfaces in arthritis, there is a loss of the normally smooth cartilage surface that covers the ends of the bones and lines the opposing joint surfaces. Loss of cartilage or cartilage breakdown, results in rough edges on the bearing surfaces of the joints, which leads to increased friction and more wear. Eventually you lose all the cartilage, and ‘bone on bone’ arthritis is the end result.

We do not simply treat the x-ray but will instead make recommendations that match you, your disease severity, and your lifestyle. The surgical options will either preserve your joint (joint preservation surgery) or replace the joint (joint replacement surgery or arthroplasty). Dr Millett has literally performed thousands of these types of joint procedures and has particular expertise in joint preservation surgery for the shoulder, knee, and elbow. One specific joint preserving technique, which Dr. Millett has pioneered, is called the CAM procedure for the shoulder. CAM stands for Comprehensive Arthroscopic Management, and it is a joint preserving option for those of you who are young, desire to be active, and yet have arthritis in your shoulder. When joint preserving surgery is no longer an option (due to severity of the disease, age or some other reason), total joint replacement may be an excellent option to alleviate pain and restore function. When joint replacement is needed, either part or all of the damaged joint surfaces can be replaced (partial or total joint replacement surgery), depending on the situation. Dr. Millett and our team routinely perform total joint joint replacement for the shoulder, knee, and hip. If joint replacement surgery is needed, Vail Valley Medical Center offers wonderful post-surgical care through our skilled nurses and experienced physical therapists for those of you who may need to undergo this type of treatment.

For more information on shoulder, knee and elbow injuries or for additional resources on sports related injuries, please contact sports medicine specialist Dr. Peter J. Millett of Vail, CO.

Peter Millett, MD

Average rating:

39 reviews

Alexandra Thompson

Mar 23, 2024

by Alexandra Thompson on Peter Millett, MD

110%

Dr. Millett and his team did a SLAP tear repair and bicep tenodesis on my left shoulder. I use my arms as an artist, and love to swim in the ocean, surf, paddle, and telemark ski. So regaining full use of my shoulder and keeping my bicep attached was very important to me. Now, over two years later, my shoulder has the equivalent range of motion as my other arm and as before the injury, and no pain. After the first three months it felt so good and was so strong that - to my horror - I completely forgot my six-month follow-up.

Not only did Dr. Millett and his team make my arm as good as new, but having had the experience of such kindness and expertise throughout the process of surgery and recovery is like an added shoulder superpower.

Thank you Rita, Brooke, Jason, Sarah, Camille, Olivia, Dr. Millett and everyone! And see you soon when my husband comes in for his knee...

Jeff Chandler

Jan 31, 2022

by Jeff Chandler on Peter Millett, MD

Flawless procedure, Easy recovery

Dr. Millet's repaired my knee and tibia, following a botched operation by a different surgeon. That procedure was virtually pain free and I was weight bearing within a few days. That was 18 years ago and the knee is still strong. A few years after the knee incident, Dr Millet repaired my shoulder. My insurance company approved me for 3 months of disability following that surgery. I was off pain medication in 2 days and had 90% range of motion within a week. I withdrew my disability claim and returned to work within two weeks of surgery. I’m not a famous athlete—just a regular guy. Nonetheless, I was treated like an NFL at the Steadman clinic. Most notable was the time for recovery. Other surgeons perform their hour-long task in the OR and don’t involve themselves in the other functions. Peter and his team manages the entire process from diagnosis, anesthesia, nursing care, and therapy. He takes a holistic approach to patient care and doesn’t skip any steps.

Jenn West

Jul 2, 2021

by Jenn West on Peter Millett, MD

Saved My Life

I went to Dr. Millett after 7 knee surgeries (6 on my right and 1 on my left) and had seen 11 different surgeons who all refused to remove femur metal from my right leg. I am highly allergic to metal and the chronic pain was leaving me bedridden for 3.5wks out of a month. He personally wrote me back on my inquiry, listened to my concerns, scheduled my surgery within a week (due to insurance issues) and personally followed up with my recovery. The level of patient care from Dr. Millett and his ENTIRE team is above any care I have ever received in my 20 years of dealing with orthopedic surgeons. There are not enough words to describe the level of care, dedication and professionalism you receive from Dr. Millett and his staff.
My only disappointment is that I did not find him sooner!!!

Submit your review
Name:
Email:
Website:
Review Title:
Rating:	1 2 3 4 5
Review:

Check this box to confirm you are human.
Submit Cancel