When we say we’re a full-service orthopedic care clinic, we mean it. A visit to Orthopaedic Surgical Consultants in northwest Indiana may include all manner of relief for pain, stiffness, or other orthopedic symptoms you’re suffering from.
Best of all, with us, your medical care is convenient and comprehensive. You can visit your OSC doctor and get the treatment you need immediately, including on-site physical therapy, pain management, and sports medicine. We can even provide you with the durable medical equipment (DME) you need, such as splints, casts, canes, walkers, and more. That means you leave our office with everything you need to get better, fast.
Assistive Devices
Durable medical equipment typically refers to devices that are used to assist you heal from an injury, surgery, or other medical condition. DME may include assistive devices like crutches, walkers, and canes that allow you to be safely mobile while you recover. These devices can significantly improve your quality of life – meaning, you can pretty much get back to living your life and carrying out your daily tasks as your body continues to heal. Most insurance plans cover the cost of these devices.
When you receive assistive devices from us, you benefit not only from the convenience that allows you to get everything you need in one place – but also the personalized attention from our team of medical professionals who know you and will work with you to ensure you are educated and guided on the proper use of your DME.
Bracing & Casting
After many bone or soft tissue injuries, your body needs to rest in order to recover. However, it can be difficult to avoid moving the injured area as you go about your daily activities – and every time you do, it can cause further injury or extend the time it takes you to fully recover. That’s why immobilizing devices like a leg, arm, back, or neck brace can make all the difference when it comes to a successful recovery. In fact, any type of cast, splint, brace, or compression sleeve can be instrumental in making sure you fully and properly heal.
At OSC, we offer the following as needed:
- Splint – similar to a cast but the hard part of the device is held in place with a bandage wrap. This makes a splint more flexible than a cast; it can be more easily tightened or loosened as needed during a patient’s recovery. A splint can accommodate swelling, so it may be used prior to a cast.
- Cast – commonly used to immobilize broken bones, depending on where the fracture occurred. Casts may be made of rigid fiberglass, plastic, or plaster and wrap around the injured body part. You receive more support and immobilization from a cast than you would a splint. A cast will remain in place until your doctor removes it.
- Brace – a removable device usually made of a combination of rigid and elastic material. It helps to restrict movement at a joint, so you don’t injure it during recovery. Knee braces, for example, can help prevent the worsening of an injury or existing condition as well as facilitate healing after surgery. Braces may be used in the treatment of sprains and strains and other soft tissue tears.
- Compression sleeve – soft, flexible, elastic material designed to firmly compress an area of the body. This helps to stimulate blood flow while keeping bones and soft tissue in place to help you avoid re-injuring the area. Compression sleeves can also be helpful to address inflammation in various parts of the body.
Orthotics are another type of DME that specifically help foot, ankle, and related conditions.
The above types of bracing and casting are used during the recovery from a number of different orthopedic conditions, such as:
- Broken bones
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Dislocated joints
- Golfer’s elbow
- Joint pain (knee, hip, shoulder, etc.)
- Plantar fasciitis
- Sprains and strains
- Tendonitis and other soft tissue injuries
- Tennis elbow
Get the comprehensive orthopedic care you need to heal correctly the first time – including durable medical equipment (DME) like casts and braces at Orthopaedic Surgical Consultants in Merrillville, Indiana. Call us at (219) 662-2279 for more information or request an appointment now.