Orthopedic injuries aren’t just painful. They also make it difficult to enjoy everyday activities. Whether you regularly run marathons or you take occasional strolls around the neighborhood park, an orthopedic injury can bench you for weeks. We know how frustrating that is. That’s why Bloom La Vie in Kansas City, MO, offers complete orthopedic care, from joint pain evaluation to custom splinting for minor injuries. We can get you back on your feet in no time.

What Is Orthopedic Care?

Orthopedic care involves the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions involving the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Bone fractures, carpal tunnel syndrome, muscle strains, bunions, heel spurs, and tendon and ligament injuries are among the many conditions that can be addressed with orthopedic care. We focus on preventing, diagnosing, and treating these conditions.

Patients often seek out this type of care when they’ve broken a bone or suffered some other type of bone, joint, or ligament injury. An orthopedic doctor can also help with chronic conditions, such as back pain or arthritis. Our team can assist with your rehabilitation, by helping you regain movement, flexibility, and strength after an injury. We can also work with you to develop strategies to prevent injury or help keep existing chronic conditions from worsening.

Joint Pain Evaluation

Joint pain is a common orthopedic problem, and it can be caused by anything from over-exertion to osteoarthritis. Treatment of joint pain often requires ongoing care. When you come to us seeking relief from joint pain, we’ll talk with you about your medical history and the activities you regularly engage in. We’ll also physically evaluate the joint, looking for signs of inflammation. We may also use lab tests to diagnose your condition.

When treating joint pain, we may prescribe anti-inflammatory medication or pain relievers. We may also recommend non-pharmaceutical approaches such as compression, icing, rest, and in some cases, physical therapy.

Muscle Pain Evaluation

Muscle pain is another problem frequently seen in orthopedic care. In fact, almost everyone experiences muscle pain at some point. Trauma, excessive exertion, and even viral infections can cause this type of pain. When diagnosing muscle pain and its cause, we often begin by talking with the patient about their medical history and how long they’ve been experiencing this discomfort. We’ll ask about the severity of the pain and whether or not it’s constant.

It’s not unusual to prescribe pain relievers for muscle pain. We may also recommend rest, ice, gentle stretching, physical therapy, chiropractic care, or other in-office treatments.

Joint Injection/Aspiration

We occasionally perform an injection or aspiration on a problematic joint. A joint injection is a way of delivering steroids directly into the joint to relieve inflammation and discomfort. Before the steroid is injected, we may remove a small amount of fluid from the joint for diagnostic purposes. Joint aspiration is a similar treatment that involves removing fluid from the joint to either ease swelling or obtain a lab specimen for diagnostic use.

Both joint injections and joint aspirations are safe and easy treatments that can be performed in our office. An anesthetic is applied to the joint before the injection is performed, and patients generally find the treatment to be comfortable. Joint aspiration is most commonly performed on the knee, but fluid can also be siphoned out of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, or ankle. Steroid joint injections are often performed on the shoulder, elbow, knee, hand, wrist, or hip.

Trigger Point Injection

Trigger point injections are a way of treating pain in areas of muscle that have small knots known as trigger points. During your treatment, we’ll insert a small needle containing an anesthetic or saline, and possibly a steroid. The injection deactivates the trigger point, alleviating the pain associated with it as well as any nerve irritation in the area. Some patients experience immediate results, although it can take up to 72 hours for the effects to take hold.

This type of injection is effective on muscles all over the body, including on the arms, legs, lower back, and neck. Patients can usually have several areas treated during a single appointment. These injections can also be used to treat fibromyalgia and tension headaches.

Custom Splinting for Minor Joint Injuries

Depending on the nature of your joint injury, we may recommend a custom splint. These splints, which are often made out of a thermoplastic material that is warmed and then custom-fit to the individual, can be used to support muscles that have weakened, rest inflamed muscles and joints, and protect your joint after orthopedic surgery. Custom splints work in much the same way as braces do.

One of the advantages of custom splints, which are sometimes referred to as orthoses, is that they can be adjusted to accommodate the healing process as inflammation dies down and the patient begins to regain mobility. Custom splints are also a convenient option. They can usually be custom fit and constructed during a single appointment, so you’ll leave with immediate support in place so that your body can heal.

Referrals to Specialists, Imaging Studies, Podiatrist, Chiropractic Care, Physical Therapy

Orthopedic care is highly specialized, and we may recommend the services of another medical professional as we diagnose and treat your condition. Occasionally special imaging is needed to properly diagnose your condition, and we may turn to the offerings of a chiropractor or a physical therapist to assist in your recovery.

You can rest assured that any specialized care we recommend will be coordinated by our practice. And we’ll only refer you to another practice if we have complete confidence in that provider and their ability to play an effective role in your care.

When It Comes to Orthopedic Care, You Can Trust Us

If you’ve been sidelined by an orthopedic injury, or if you need assistance managing a chronic condition, we can help. Our goal is to get you back in action so that you can enjoy your favorite activities and pursue a full, healthy lifestyle. If you’re struggling with painful joints, muscle aches, or other musculoskeletal conditions, we can provide the orthopedic care you need.