Larry Pincus is passionate about skiing.
A Brooklyn, New York, native, Pincus started skiing in his 20s and was immediately hooked.
Pincus, now 68 years old, is a licensed family and marriage counselor in both Utah and Indiana. He calls Indiana home, where he owns and runs a therapy clinic.
Although he spends much of his time far away from the snowy mountains of Utah, his passion for skiing remains intact. From January to April, you won鈥檛 find Pincus in Indiana. Instead, for the past four years, he has spent the first four months of the year living in Salt Lake City, providing virtual care to his clients in Indiana and skiing as many days as possible.
鈥淭he goal is to ski more days than I am old,鈥 Pincus said.
This year did not disappoint, and he reached his goal of 70 ski days. That was even more impressive considering Pincus broke his wrist on March 1. He only had 35 ski days at that point, and just four days later he was meant to fly to Alaska for a ski trip.
For months, Pincus, his wife and one of their sons, along with some family friends, had been planning the ski trip of a lifetime. Everyone met up in Salt Lake City to ski at for a few days before heading to Alaska.
鈥淲e were skiing at Snowbird and my friend fell and lost all of his gear in the process,鈥 Pincus said. 鈥淲e were on pretty flat terrain, and I reached down to help him scoop up his skis and poles.鈥
That鈥檚 when Pincus鈥 own ski tips crossed, causing him to fall backwards. Instinctively, he held out his right arm to catch himself. Initially, he didn鈥檛 think anything was broken.
鈥淚 had absolutely no pain whatsoever,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat made all of us think it wasn鈥檛 broken.鈥
Pincus decided to get checked out at the Snowbird Clinic, where he got the news: his wrist was broken.
鈥淚 made sure to tell the doctor at the clinic that I was flying to Alaska in four days for a ski trip,鈥 Pincus said. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure I鈥檓 not the first skier to say something like that.鈥
Pincus had a wrist fracture, a common injury that occurs when the radius bone breaks near the wrist joint.
Because Pincus was hoping to ski in Alaska just a few days after his injury, the providers at the Snowbird Clinic recommended that he make an appointment at the University Orthopaedic Center鈥檚 Injury Clinic.
鈥淭hey pulled up the injury clinic schedule and booked me for an appointment the day before I was flying to Alaska,鈥 Pincus said. 鈥淭hey also put my arm in a temporary splint, so I could rest it and keep things immobilized until my appointment.鈥
Three days after breaking his wrist, Pincus went to his appointment at the Orthopaedic Injury Clinic. Joy English, MD, happened to be working that night and met with Pincus about his injury.
English is a board-certified emergency medicine and sports medicine physician in the at the . She also serves as medical director of the Orthopaedic Injury Clinic.
Knowing that Pincus was heading out on a ski trip the following day, English did everything she could to make sure he could stay safe and still enjoy his trip. She recommended that Pincus be fitted for a custom splint instead of a hard cast.
鈥淐asting is great, but most people prefer a custom splint with hand therapy if their injury will allow for it,鈥 English said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 as good as a cast in many ways, but also better鈥攊If you have an emergency, you can get it off easily.鈥
The University Orthopaedic Center houses Utah鈥檚 largest hand and upper extremity therapy hand clinic in the Mountain West. After reviewing Pincus鈥 x-rays, English immediately sent him over to the hand clinic to be fitted for a custom splint. The location and timing was perfect.
鈥淲hen Dr. English sent me to the hand clinic, it was 5:35 pm,鈥 Pincus said. 鈥淭he hand clinic closed at 6:00 pm, but they were able to take care of me in time.鈥
Twenty-three minutes after walking into the hand clinic, Pincus walked out with a hard plastic custom splint. The next day, he flew to Alaska, where he skied some of the steepest terrain he had ever skied.
鈥淚t was just wonderful,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he only thing I had to do different was buy an extra-large mitten to fit over the front of the splint.鈥
Pincus was also able to continue skiing for the rest of the season without limitations. Four months post-injury, Pincus is still impressed by the care he received.
鈥淚 am just so overwhelmed by the quality of care and integration of care,鈥 he said. 鈥淔rom Snowbird to the Orthopaedic Center to the hand clinic鈥 They met me where I was and gave me suggestions as well as interventions that have helped me to maintain my active lifestyle.鈥
Although Pincus is currently in Indiana, he continues to crosstrain and stay fit for yet another epic ski season. Come January, you will find him back in Utah, ready to hit 70 more ski days.