Posted on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 in Orthopedics
During this COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are sheltering in place at home. We’ve heeded the advice of the CDC and other health professionals, washing our hands more often and staying inside away from other folks in our communities in order to “flatten the curve.”
But, that doesn’t mean we’re immune to injury. Accidents can still happen, especially with kids home, and it can be confusing to know what to do if you or a loved one sustains an orthopedic injury, for example.
Say you’ve slipped and fallen on some slippery ground while outside for some fresh air. You’ve hurt your ankle or knee. What do you do?
- Assess the injury. Is it swelling? Does it look different than normal? Is the severity of your pain intense? Does it look broken? These factors can help you determine if you need to be seen immediately.
- Avoid ERs or urgent care clinics. Steering clear of these places will keep space available for COVID-19 patients. Dependent upon your circumstances, you may be able to be seen at an orthopedic office. At Signature Orthopedics, we are seeing patients and even treating injuries and orthopedic conditions.
- Go to a one-stop shop. If you feel that your injury requires immediate attention, go somewhere like Signature Orthopedics that has onsite imaging and X-rays. You’ll receive a faster answer and be on the road to recovery more quickly
- Consider a telehealth appointment. At Signature Orthopedics, we’ve gotten a little creative with our care. We now offer virtual appointments where, depending on the injury, you can see an orthopedic specialist who can answer your questions about your injury.
St. Louis-based Signature Orthopedics is committed to treating patients during this difficult time. We’ve enhanced our patient screening process and increased our cleaning methods to provide a safer patient environment for our orthopedic patients. We’ve also redesigned our patient flow process to reduce the number of patients in the practice at any given time.
If you or someone you know has an orthopedic injury, or if you want more information about the services we are currently offering (both in person and via telehealth), give us a call:
Signature Orthopedics South County: 314-849-0311
Signature Orthopedics West County: 314-983-4700
Signature Orthopedics O'Fallon: 636-561-0871
Signature Orthopedics Jefferson County: 636-933-7400
Signature Orthopedics Tesson Ferry Spine: 314-849-0808