30 Dec Orthopaedic Urgent Care: There When You Need It
Originally posted on WilliamsonSource.com –
Whether you’re suffering from joint pain, bone fractures or sports injuries, the specialists at Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee are now closer to home or work through their orthopaedic urgent care clinics. During this busy season, you can walk-in, be treated and get back to doing what you love. Bone and Joint Institute operates three orthopaedic urgent care locations throughout Williamson County with mid-level specialists readily available to patients when the unexpected injury or persistent pain arises.
“Our Orthopaedic Urgent Care clinics exclusively treat musculoskeletal issues,” explained Lance Bolin, MPAS, PA-C, a certified physician assistant with Bone and Joint Institute’s urgent cares based primarily at the Nolensville clinic. “We don’t see the runny noses, coughs and colds, but we see anything related to musculoskeletal trauma, such as aches, pains, and broken bones.”
Bone and Joint Institute’s urgent care clinics are frequented by a wide range of individuals. From the ‘weekend warrior’ who suffered an injury reliving their younger days on the court or the senior citizen that lost their balance and took a tumble to the avid runner that felt a pop in their stride and the middle school athlete training to be the next Kobe Bryant, urgent care clinics see a vast array of patients from all walks of life.
“Our clinics are mostly geared toward acute injuries,” added Bolin, “but we do see a large number of folks with chronic issues like knee pain, back pain, elbow pain, shoulder pain, that sort of thing. We help to manage that as well.”
At its core, Bone and Joint Institute orthopaedic urgent care clinics are designed to help those who live and work in Williamson County (and beyond) have greater access to health care to keep from living a life with pain. Oftentimes, patients with nagging issues do not want to take a trip to the emergency room. Instead of living with that chronic pain for months – and even sometimes years – orthopaedic urgent care allows individuals to see a provider quickly with options for immediate care, if possible. If greater care is necessary, it opens a direct door to physicians at Bone and Joint Institute’s main clinic in Franklin.
“If you are having back pain that is causing numbness, tingling and weakness down your legs,” said Bolin, “you can come see us. Not only are we an urgent care, but we are a direct route to our main office filled with physicians who specialize in treatment options such as epidural injections and surgery, if needed. We at the urgent care clinics start by getting information on your condition and how it’s best treated. We can treat many conditions in our clinic, and if we determine you need to see one of our specialists we can oftentimes get you referred to a physician that same day or next day to help keep your healing process moving.”
Not sure if a trip to an urgent care or a trip to the emergency room is the best step for you? Certain major fractures and breaks do require a trip to the emergency room, but regardless of whether it’s a major, minor or chronic incident Bone and Joint Institute’s orthopaedic urgent care clinics can generally shed light on your specific situation in an expedited manner. Once at a clinic, providers can talk with patients to learn specifics of their situation, start to make some determinations through hands-on evaluation and take x-rays on site if they’re deemed necessary. From there, providers like Bolin can make decisions about treatment, whether that’s on site, referral to the emergency room or to a specialist – such as a surgeon – for further assistance.
“With some injuries or conditions that come in, I can’t see exactly what’s going on inside the body until I get an x-ray,” said Bolin. “Some fractures look normal until you get an x-ray. Once we review that x-ray, we can see if a fracture is displaced or surgical. Then our team can determine which course of treatment is needed.”
It is a tough call when it comes to musculoskeletal injury or pain, but Bolin states that Bone and Joint Institute orthopaedic urgent care facilities are equipped to take care of most conditions they see. If they do need to refer patients to the main office, their team will make that call to get the patient the expedited care they need.
“We are a backdoor way into our main office,” explained Bolin. “It can sometimes be difficult for a patient to get in with a specialist quickly because they do not know the exact extent of the problem. Once we see them here and determine their needs, we can communicate with our team to get the patient to the appropriate specialist to continue their care.
Occasionally, there are some conditions like rib or sternum pain where a patient may need to be referred to another specialty, including cardiology, pulmonology, or general surgery. The specialists at Bone and Joint Institute work with these other specialists to ensure that the patient is cared for in an expeditious manner.
“We’re a great way to get in, be seen and get home quickly,” said Bolin. “We are a way to bypass the ER that can be busy treating COVID, flu and other conditions that require immediate attention. We know that patients have busy lives, and we work hard to minimize wait times at our clinics. We want to be able to have a patient seen, x-rayed, and treated in an expeditious and comprehensive manner so they can get back to their lives without pain.”
Orthopaedic urgent care clinics also have physical therapy right next door, creating a comprehensive care setting at the same location so patients do not need to run all over town in search of care. “You get to keep it all in one office, one location,” said Bolin, “and get to know all the people and staff you’ll see each time you visit.”
In addition to the Nolensville location, there are also Bone and Joint Institute Orthopaedic Urgent Care Clinics in Brentwood and Thompson’s Station. The Brentwood office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. The Nolensville location mirrors the Brentwood location hours. The Thompson Station office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
“The advantage of a Bone and Joint orthopaedic urgent care clinic is increasing access to quality orthopaedic care in your neighborhood, in your community,” said Trey Brown, FNP-C, Nurse Practitioner, Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee Orthopaedic Urgent Care on their website. Watch the video to view the facilities.
To learn more about orthopaedic urgent care, contact Lance Bolin at Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee – Orthopaedic Urgent Care Clinics. Bolin can be reached at (615) 791-2630. Or schedule an appointment online.