Orthopedic Center: Emergency Room Tips
Falling, getting bruised or bumped is a part of life for many children, adults, and seniors.
In the United States, millions of people of all ages injure themselves through spraining an ankle or breaking a bone, some hurt their shoulders, hit their heads, are involved in accidents or even sustain injuries while playing sports.
Such injuries can lead to skeletal deformities or disorders of the joints, bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Orthopedic treatment are aimed at handling different parts of the injured musculoskeletal system.
These damages could also lead to loss of consciousness, and deep lacerations, that clearly demand an immediate visit to FrontLine ER
What is an Orthopedic Emergency?
Orthopedic emergencies are those situations that should be attended to by physicians on the same day the injury occurs. This is to prevent likely harm to the victim.
Patients who have experienced severe damage to the musculoskeletal system should seek treatment from the nearest ER for a wide range of complicated orthopedic conditions. Some of the common orthopedic injuries include, but are not limited to:
- Fractures and bone deformities
- Bone bacterial infections
- Hip and joint dislocations, arthritis
- Post-traumatic deformity
- Tendon ruptures and ligament tears
- Re-injury of the damaged bone or tissue
The mentioned injuries can occur on various body parts like the spine, elbow, knee, shoulder, hand, wrist and ankles. They should be treated with urgency since they may require closing or alignment, splinting, casting or even surgery.
When to visit an ER
It’s imperative to note that acute trauma usually demands that you call an ambulance or make an immediate visit to the ER. You need to get to a hospital right away if you or your loved ones:
- Become unconscious
- Have a compound fracture that breaks the skin
- Are unable to use the affected limb (for example, a broken arm or leg)
- Bleeding from a deep cut
- Are involved in a severe workplace or automobile accident
Call FrontLine ER if the patient exhibits the following symptoms:
- Shortness of breath, calf pain, chest pain, and cough occurring a few weeks after undergoing surgeries such as total knee and hip replacement or hip fracture surgery.
- Severe back pain that is often accompanied by feebleness in the legs and failure to empty one’s bladder after a spinal epidural injection or lumbar spine surgery.
- Painful and swollen joints in patients with a solid cast that is accompanied by fever and chills.
- A child who remains uncomfortable and fussy even after getting treated and given medication for a fracture of the arm.
- A post-operative patient who has a wound that suddenly starts to drain or accidentally falls or twists the operative limb marked by an increase in pain.
- Any person with osteoporosis who experiences pain in the groin or thigh, followed by inability to walk even after a minor injury.
These conditions merely highlight some of the most common sustained injuries.
What Do Orthopedic Physicians at Frontline ER Do?
When a patient is brought in for treatment after sustaining fractures, strained muscles or torn ligaments, the physicians will utilize various techniques to enhance mobility.
Orthopedic patients at FrontLine ER benefit from technological advances like arthroscopy that allows the doctors to have a detailed view of the affected joint and help in providing accurate diagnosis and surgical treatment of internal joint diseases.
But first, the emergency physician will conduct a personal interview and do a physical examination to help manage the injuries with ease. Some of the investigations undertaken include:
- Assessing of the posterior scalp
- Examining the entire spine to check for any deformities
- A digital rectal check can be carried out to check for gross blood, sphincter tone or any abnormal prostate position
- Assessment of neurovascular status
Next, depending on the findings, diagnostic tests such as blood tests, imaging tests like Arthrogram (joint x-ray), bone scans, CT scan, MRI Scan, and regular x-rays may be ordered.
Orthopedic diseases and injuries have several treatment options. The doctors will sit down and discuss with you the various possibilities so that you can continue living and having an active and functional life.
In most cases, treatment may involve the injection of corticosteroid and hyaluronic acid injection into the affected area to relieve pain.
Depending on the severity of the injury, and the results from various diagnostic tests, doctors may recommend surgical procedures. They can decide to do an amputation, ligament reconstruction, cartilage repair, arthroscopic surgeries, and spine surgery.
It’s crucial to note that pediatric bones are more flexible than adults, thus leading to unique fracture patterns. Due to the high metabolic turnover of children’s bones, closed reduction and casting are the treatment of choice for such kinds of fractures.
Management of geriatric patients at the orthopedic centre can be quite challenging as there could be complications with drug interactions among the elderly. However, modern orthopedic treatment options available at FrontLine ER such as a minimally invasive surgical procedure, bone fusion and grafting, and advances external fixation can minimize the risks.
