Dr. Elizabeth Frances Yurth, MD

Dr. Yurth is one of only a handful of non-surgical musculoskeletal specialists with extensive specialty fellowship training in Spine and Sports Medicine. This specialty training- along with her experience treating professional, collegiate and recreational athletes- ensures her patients of the best and most advanced medical care possible. Having faced multiple athletic sports injuries herself including tearing both her anterior cruciate ligaments skiing and a severe ankle fracture from climbing- she can identify with the frustrations of the athlete recovering from an injury and their need for a personal, compassionate approach to their treatment. Dr. Yurth came to Colorado in the fourth grade and has grown up in an active family skiing and hiking the Rocky Mountains. She attended Littleton High School and received a Scholarship to the University of Colorado where she graduated with honors. She then relocated to California where she attended the University of Southern California Medical School graduating at the top of her class with honors including AOA, The Dean?s Award and several other awards for academic excellence. Her internship and residency were completed at the University of California Irvine and she is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Physiatrist). Following her residency, Dr. Yurth was selected for a highly competitive fellowship in Spine and Sports Medicine with SOAR (Sports, Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Medical Association), an organization associated with Stanford University where she had the opportunity to learn from leaders in the field of spine and sports medicine. There she had the opportunity to work with the San Fransisco 49ers, Santa Clara University basketball, football and soccer and Stanford women?s basketball and soccer. She also acted as the physician for the San Jose/Cleveland Ballet. After several years in Northern California, Dr. Yurth jumped at the opportunity to move home to her beloved Boulder and be back close to her family. She now brings her unique experience in non-surgical orthopaedics here to the Boulder area. Dr. Yurth is a firm believer that many musculoskeletal injuries (back, neck, shoulder, knee, etc) can be treated successfully without surgical intervention. Particularly when treating complicated problems such as neck and back injuries, Dr. Yurth believes patients need to know ALL the treatment options available-both surgical and non-surgical in order to make an informed decision as to the best treatment plan for them. Her primary goal is to take the time needed for the patient to educate them about their injuries or disease and work together with them to help plan their best course for recovery. Though Dr. Yurth enjoys treating all types of orthopaedic problems, her training in Interventional Physiatry has given her a focus on treating spinal injuries. She is trained in numerous exciting new procedures for treating neck and back problems including all types of spinal injections, Intradiscal electrothermal annuloplasty (a procedure which uses thermal energy to treat disc problems), percutaneous decompression (uses a suction device to non surgically remove disc protrusions and help back and leg pain), and pulsed radio frequency neurolysis (uses radio frequency waves to treat specific types of back pain) Dr. Yurth has lectured across the country and is published in leading journals on topics including the treatment of lower back pain, non-operative management of disc herniations, nerve injuries in sports, care of the female athlete and preventing osteoporosis. Dr. Yurth is an avid runner, cyclist, climber and skier with extensive experience in sports specifically weight training. She is married and has five young children so is back on the sidelines again watching her children play soccer, football, basketball and ski.