All eyes in the figure skating world are on Kansas City this weekend as the best of the best compete in The U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Sprint Center. Athletes from around the country will be competing over several days, and large crowds are expected.

            Dr. Lisa Vopat of The Sports Medicine and Performance Center at The University of Kansas Hospital oversees a team of medical professionals caring for the skaters each day from before sunrise until after the last event well after 10 p.m. While practicing sports medicine in Boston, she also cared for figure skaters when the championships came there.

 In the video, Dr. Vopat talks about the types of injuries professional skaters are prone to suffer, and how those injuries often differ from those of recreational skaters. She says the injuries are similar to those suffered by dancers, and she explains why men’s skating injuries often differ from women’s. She describes the full team involved in the care, and says when you watch the skaters on TV, it looks so easy. She says you have to see them in person to appreciate the athleticism of skaters.

            The video also includes practice sessions on the Sprint Center ice.