From Boarding to Broken Bone: Boulder Man Gets Up From Fall With Help From BoulderCentre

While attempting to hit a backside 720 on the snowboard, Owen M., 28, misread the spin and landed straight on his right shoulder. It was Copper Mountain’s closing day, April 24, and Owen had been enjoying the slopes for the final hours of the summer with his close friends. 

As soon as he landed wrong, he knew he needed to see a doctor immediately.

“I’ve gone to BoulderCentre for Orthopedics & Spine for a long time to the point of where Zach feels like family,” Owen said. “So, I knew going back to them would be my best option for getting the best care possible.”

Visiting with Zach Lueders, PA-C, of BoulderCentre for Orthopedics & Spine, Owen was placed on a nonoperative treatment plan to monitor the condition of the broken clavicle each week.

Because his clavicle was only partially broken, Zach wanted to watch how it would settle and place itself.

One week later, Zach checked on the break, and it still hadn’t settled the way they wanted. They scheduled another X-ray for a week out to reevaluate progress before surgical options would be pursued. 

On the Thursday before his X-ray appointment, Owen went to the dog park and unfortunately fell after being attacked by a dog. He landed directly on his right clavicle and snapped the bone completely. 

BoulderCentre for Orthopedics & Spine took him in right away on the next day to examine the fracture and immediately scheduled him for an open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Khemarin Seng on Monday. 

“When it comes to a clavicle fracture, we always try to treat it nonoperatively before pursuing surgical measures,” Dr. Seng said. “With the ORIF procedure, we go in, clamp, and realign the broken bone and then place a plate over so it heals properly.”

One month out of surgery and Owen hiked Angels Landing at Zion National Park without experiencing problems or pain in his clavicle. 

“The doctors at BoulderCentre for Orthopedics & Spine are wizards. I kid you not, my sister had the same surgery as me, but I was able to lift my arm above my shoulder in a day or so,” Owen said. 

Owen’s future adventures don’t stop there. He plans to start cross-country mountain biking soon.

To learn more or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Seng of BoulderCentre for Orthopedics & Spine, please call 303.449.2730 or schedule an appointment online