Our NOWcare team provides hand injury assessment and treatment with no appointment required. The Center’s orthopedic hand specialists can treat torn ligaments, sprains, fractures, and other common orthopedic injuries not severe enough to require hospital care. If the upper extremity injury requires further diagnostic care and treatment, The Center has on-site x-ray, MRI, splinting or casting, and other durable medical equipment available. With this same-day hand injury treatment, NOWcare provides exceptional care that facilitates patients returning to activities of daily living or recreation as quickly as possible.
WALK-IN INJURY CLINIC
Central Oregon tends to see an influx in hand, wrist, and elbow injuries during the winter months due to slips, falls, or winter sports. Many who visit the emergency room after a hand injury will be referred to an orthopedic specialist for follow-up care. Central Oregon residents have another option when seeking orthopedic care for their acute hand injuries. The Center’s NOWcare clinic allows patients to skip the cost of an ER visit and receive a same-day appointment with one of our hand specialists.
Below are a few examples of winter hand injuries that our specialists treat:
TORN LIGAMENTS
Skier’s Thumb is a common hand ligament injury, especially in active individuals. Skier’s thumb, also known as “gamekeeper’s thumb,” involves an injury to the ligament on the inside of your thumb – the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of the metacarpophalangeal joint. This thumb ligament injury can involve a sprain in which case the ligament stretches or partially tears, or a complete tear leading to significant pain, weakness, and instability of the thumb. The thumb injury occurs most commonly from an acute traumatic event leading to hyperextension of the thumb.
Orthopedic hand specialist, Dr. Soma Lilly, explains skier’s thumb and the treatment options for this thumb injury.
SLIP AND FALL INJURIES
Central Oregon roads and sidewalks get very icy during the winter months, which causes a lot of slip and fall injuries. Our instinct is to use our arms and hands to break the fall causing injuries to our hands, wrists, or arms. The most common fall-related hand injury is a distal radius fracture. This occurs when the radius (the bone in your forearm closest to the thumb) breaks close to the wrist. Distal radius fractures are very common.
NOWcare is offered at our Neff Road clinic location and is an extension of our regular clinic that specializes in musculoskeletal injuries – any injury related to the muscles, bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, or tissues. NOWcare is open Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
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