An orthopedist or orthopedic doctor is one of the specialists your primary care physician may suggest you see after a car accident or a workplace injury in New York. Learn more about what these specialists do and how they can help you after an incident or accident.
Orthopedists specialize in treating the musculoskeletal system, which includes the bones, tendons, nerves, ligaments, and joints. Orthopedic doctors regularly treat patients that have injuries due to physical activity or aging, among other causes. Some of the conditions that orthopedists treat are the result of car accidents or work-related injuries, such as repetitive motions at work leading to overuse injuries.
Some of the most common of these injuries and symptoms that orthopedic care treats include:
One example of an injury an orthopedist may treat after a motor vehicle accident is a knee injury. This is common from accidentally hitting the door, steering wheel, or dashboard. Wrist injuries also happen frequently after an impact with a steering wheel. Repetitive strain injuries are a prevalent type of workplace injury requiring orthopedic care. Neck strain from sitting at a desk or whiplash from a slip and fall are also common issues.
At your first visit, expect an orthopedic specialist to give you a physical exam and ask questions about your pain and other symptoms. They will also want to hear about the workplace or car accident and your typical activity level. They also frequently conduct other diagnstic tests, such as ultrasounds, MRIs, CAT scans, X-rays, and EMGs.
Orthopedic treatment commonly works with other types of treatment as well. Your orthopedist may suggest mobility aids, acupuncture, injections, immobilization, lifestyle changes, home exercise, physical therapy, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicines, surgery, or other treatments. There are also orthopedic surgeons who offer surgical solutions, but nearly every doctor will only suggest surgery if nothing else works.
Visiting an orthopedist should help manage your pain, improve your range of motion, and help treat and prevent injuries. Take a closer look at how they can provide these and other benefits.
While your primary care doctor will do their best to diagnose injuries after an accident, orthopedic care is usually better at diagnosing and treating soft tissue damage because of its focus on this. As a refresher, soft tissue damage affects cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Compared to broken bones, for example, this tends to be significantly harder to diagnose.
It is common for musculoskeletal injuries to cause pain. By treating the condition, orthopedic treatment can reduce that pain. Orthopedic doctors commonly help patients manage pain in their wrists, shoulders, neck, knees, hips, hands, feet, back, elbows, and ankles.
Many people receive orthopedic care to help restore their range of motion. This is especially common if the reduced range of motion is due to an orthopedic injury. Limits to the range of motion may be from joints swelling, stiffness, or pain.
Restoring your normal range of motion after an accident is essential to returning to your normal life in New York. It lets you independently shower, clean, work, bend over, and complete other necessary daily tasks.
As with any other type of medical care, orthopedic care can significantly reduce your recovery time. It is simple that treating an injury helps it heal more quickly than it would if left alone. Additionally, orthopedists can be better at spotting specific injuries to soft tissues than other specialists, making this treatment and improved recovery possible.
Not all pain from a workplace or an auto accident will appear right away. Some of that comes from the way that our bodies produce more endorphins after an accident. For example, it is pervasive for muscle soreness to appear days after the accident. Your primary care physician may not necessarily be able to detect the soft tissue injuries that cause this pain, but an orthopedist can.
Orthopedic care does not just involve a single visit to the doctor. Your orthopedic specialists will see you regularly as you heal. This helps ensure that your injuries heal properly. It also gives them the chance to adjust the treatment or address any other symptoms or injuries that appear.
If you don’t address an orthopedic injury promptly, it can become permanent over time, potentially even causing degenerative disease. For example, auto accidents can cause spinal stenosis, sciatica, arthritis, hip bursitis, and tendonitis if not properly treated. That’s why it’s wise to consider seeing an experienced orthopedic doctor after a car accident or workplace injury.
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