Arthritis literally means “inflammation of a joint.”

A joint is where the ends of two or more bones meet. A smooth tissue of cartilage covers the ends of bones in a joint. Cartilage cushions the bone and allows the joint to move easily without the friction that would come with bone-on-bone contact.

There are two major categories of arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is caused by wear and tear on the articular cartilage through the natural aging process, constant use, or trauma. The cartilage covering the bone ends wears away and bone rubs against bone causing pain and swelling.

Rheumatoid Arthritis affects many parts of the body, but mainly the joints. The joint lining swells, invading surrounding tissues. Swelling, pain, and stiffness usually develop, even when the joint is not used often or at all.

If you or your loved ones are suffering with any of the following symptoms, it’s important to seek orthopedic care for diagnosis and treatment.

Symptoms include:

• Weakness in the muscles

• Tenderness to touch

• Limited ability to move the joint

• A grating feeling or sound (crepitus) with movement

• Pain when pressure is placed on the joint or the joint is moved

As you manage your osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or any of the numerous arthritis-related conditions, it’s critical to get the support you need. Our on-site orthopedic clinicians focus on creating a successful provider/patient relationship to ensure optimal care. Together, we’ll monitor the progress of your disease and day-to-day function and customize a treatment plan specifically for you.

Access to Expert Pediatric Orthopedic Care Is Critical, But Often Comes Too Late.

Just because accidents aren’t convenient, doesn’t mean your child’s care can’t be. You don’t even need a referral. Simply come in at your convenience and we can diagnose your child’s condition, explain it fully to you, and help you decide on the best treatment plan so that your child can heal with minimal impact on his or her future.

• On-demand care – no appointment necessary

• X-Rays available on-site

• Your child is seen by on orthopedic clinician on your first visit

• Significantly lower costs (over ER visit)

• Save time, money and avoid multiple appointments to get the care your child needs!

As a parent, you understand your child’s risk of being injured doesn’t take a break. When accidents happen, and you need pediatric orthopedics services immediately, call or come in. Let us help you get your child back in the game – on or off the field!

Our services are designed to get you fully-treated on your first visit in less than one hour.

Digital X-Ray

We offer state-of-the-art digital imaging radiography down the hall at Elite Imaging Center. No need to endure multiple visits to get treated. Digital radiography is a form of X-Ray imaging, where digital X-ray sensors are used instead of traditional photographic film.

Advantages include time efficiency by bypassing chemical processing, and the ability to digitally transfer and enhance images. Less radiation can be used to produce an image of similar contrast to conventional radiography.

CT

Elite Imaging Center works closely with Instant Ortho offering state-of-the-art CT (Computed Tomography) imaging for any of your orthopedic needs right in the same building. We not only offer traditional CT imaging and standard exams, but we also have the only standing CT in Wyoming. If your joints hurt the most while standing, it only makes sense to image them in that position. Elite Imaging Center also has a billing department that is focused on working with your insurance company after your initial visit to get your exams pre-authorized. Our imaging staff offers the highest quality of care with skilled knowledge to get your providers the imaging they need to get you answers and ultimately feeling better and able to live your life!

Ultrasound

Ultrasound is a diagnostic imaging technique utilized to see internal body structures such as tendons, muscles, joints, vessels and internal organs to ensure thorough diagnosis of your injury. We use state-of-the-art ultrasound technology to find the source of an injury, or to exclude certain pathologies. An ultrasound uses sound waves with frequencies that are higher than those audible to humans.

Acute Injuries

Acute injuries are those that have occurred recently, usually defined as having occurred in the previous 48-72 hours. Acute injuries are also usually the result of a specific impact or traumatic event that occurs in one specific area of the body. Examples of acute injuries include tendon strains, ligament sprains, muscle strains, muscle contusions, and bone breaks or fractures. Most acute injuries heal better when treated within the first few days of being injured.

Yet deciding if an injury requires medical attention may not be easy. Some signs that should prompt a visit include moderate or severe amount of swelling, rapid swelling, inability to move the joint in a full range of motion, inability to walk, extreme pain or pain even when you are resting the injured area, and if the limb appears deformed.

Even without any of these signs, if an injury does not significantly improve after resting it for a couple of days, or if you feel at all uncertain, consider getting it checked out. Early assessment and treatment of acute injuries is essential to a full recovery and safe return to everyday activities.

Auto Accidents

If you have been in a car accident, you are likely experiencing pain in multiple body parts, unsure of which pains will just go away on their own. Recovery can be tough. Finding the right health care provider to properly diagnose and treat your injuries can be even tougher. Your body also naturally produces endorphins to help deal with the stress at the time of an accident which can mask pain – and why many people walk away from an accident feeling fine – only to have pain unexpectedly flair up days or sometimes weeks later.

Yet diagnosing the problem, including the type, location, and severity of an injury, is essential to proper treatment and requires a specialist. General Practitioners often miss details risking improper diagnoses and you in turn potentially being stuck with an injury that isn’t covered by insurance.

But how do you know? At Instant Ortho, we use advanced technology required to identify delayed pain by assessing you for soft tissue damage that could affect your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage. Damage to soft tissue is harder to track and quantify than broken bones, yet the effects can be just as debilitating. If you or your loved one has been in an auto accident, choose Instant Ortho and keep a bad situation from getting worse.

Chronic Pain

Just about everyone feels pain from time to time. When you strain your back, pain is your body’s way of telling you something is not quite right. Then once it heals, the pain stops. Chronic pain is different. Your body keeps hurting weeks, months, or even years after the injury. Doctors often define chronic pain as any pain that lasts for 3 to 6 months or more and can negatively affect your day-to-day life and mental health.

Chronic pain may arise from an initial injury or an ongoing cause such as illness. There may also be no clear cause – yet the pain just won’t go away. Other health problems such as fatigue, inability to sleep through the night, loss of appetite, and mood swings often accompany chronic pain. Chronic pain may also limit movement which can reduce flexibility, strength, and stamina.

If you develop chronic pain, it’s crucial that you seek specialty medical help and get a proper diagnosis. At Instant Ortho, our on-site providers will work with you to identify the causes and symptoms of your pain and provide effective treatments and management strategies to help maintain your quality of life.

Fracture / Broken Bone

A fracture is any break in the surface of the bone. Sprains can sometimes include a fracture. While some fractures are treated with casts, others only require a brace, sling or other support. Broken bones can often be treated conservatively, with just a cast or splint, but many situations require further treatment. It is important to treat a broken bone right away to ensure the bone heals in the proper position, and to make sure the vessels and nerves close by are unharmed.

The wrong care compromises your health, is inconvenient and wastes time and money. If you suspect a bone may be fractured, your first stop should be to an orthopedic specialist. Instant Ortho offers on-site X-Ray on a walk-in basis.

Pre-employment Physicals

There are more health and safety requirements required for employers to follow than ever before. For many employers, pre-employment physicals have become a routine requirement to determine if applicants are suitable for the job and reduce the possibility of future on-the-job injuries.

Instant Ortho works directly with employers and employees to determine company requirements and provide fast, reliable results so employees can start work as soon as possible while ensuring their safety. We also take special care to provide support and advice to patients who discover a previously unknown condition during a physical and recommend treatment options.

Let our trained staff help you land your next career move. We are fully equipped to provide standard pre-employment exam and physicals – on site and on demand.

According to workers' compensation laws, the injured worker can receive compensation for lost wages and medical expenses associated with the injury, regardless of fault.

Workers Compensation Claims and Specialty Care

Did you know that over 90% of Worker’s Compensation claims are musculoskeletal and require specialty care? Why then would anyone risk misdiagnosis and waste time and money going to the ER or general clinic for work related injuries?

For a Human Resources Director, a Manager, or a Health and Safety Committee Member, establishing a timeline for the employee’s return to work after an injury is imperative. At Instant Ortho, our goal is to provide you with the access to specialty care needed to get employees back on their feet and back on the job quickly and efficiently. Our physicians and health professionals are experts in diagnosing and treating work-related injuries, and our dedicated Workers’ Comp team fully understands the rules and regulations of the Workers’ Compensation system in Wyoming.

Instant Ortho & Pain Care offers the full range of bracing, splinting and casting.

Immobilizing the injured area is critical to the rehabilitation and healing of injuries and orthopedic conditions. We can even custom fit the braces and splints we use to support and limit the movement of the injured area. When these braces are customized to specific injuries they last longer and are better able to withstand stresses.

Bracing

Braces are designed to stabilize a joint, reduce pain and inflammation, and strengthen the muscle around the joint. A brace puts pressure on the sides of a joint to cause the joint to realign, which decreases the contact between two rough bone surfaces and reduces the pain while increasing mobility. Whether you’re looking to prevent, protect, or play through an injury or even just need a little extra support to get you through your day, Instant Ortho has got you covered.

Durable Medical Equipment (DME)

At Instant Ortho we offer a complete line of durable medical equipment for the foot and ankle, knee, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand, and spine.

Splinting Fabrication

Splints are designed to support painful joints and weak muscles, reduce nerve compressions, and protect healing injuries. Instant Ortho staff are trained in the art of fabricating custom splints for either stabilization or mobilization. Our unique bodies often fail to fit into “off the shelf” models of support or a patient may require a more individualized device following trauma.

The splints are designed to support the joints while they heal, to immobilize a joint, or to limit motion. We ensure our splints are comfortable, as they are customized to fit each individual and can easily make modifications as needed to ensure your comfort and facilitate the fastest healing.

Multicolor and Waterproof Casting

Casts have come a long way in the past few decades. Rather than just plain white plaster, our casts come in a variety of colors, and we even offer waterproof casts making life much easier for both kids and parents. Antibacterial material reduces irritation and unpleasant smells. This advanced technology allows you to shower without a bag and even swim – making a hard time a little easier!

Regardless of the type of cast, splint or bracing that is right for you, the onsite clinicians at Instant Ortho will ensure the precise fit for the quickest path to full recovery.

Instant Ortho & Pain Care Helps You When You Need It

You or your loved one got a pretty nasty cut, but how bad is it really? Can you just clean it up and slap on a bandage or is it severe enough that you need medical help? Open wounds are the ultimate “on the fence” medical issue and you may not realize how serious a gash is until it becomes infected.

Many minor lacerations heal without medical intervention. But some injuries require stitches that are essential for proper healing. Deep cuts and abrasions are prone to infection and other complications, and the longer a wound stays open and vulnerable, the greater the risk of infection becomes. Stitches also help reduce the chance of developing scar tissue and speed up the overall healing process.

How can you tell if specific treatment for lacerations may require more than minor treatment at home?

• Bleeding heavily and does not stop after 5 to 10 minutes of direct pressure

• Deep or longer than 1/2 inch

• Located close to the eye

• Large cuts on the face

• Caused by a puncture wound or dirty or rusty object

• Embedded with debris such as dirt, stones or gravel

• Ragged or have separated edges

• Caused by an animal or human bite

• Excessively painful

• Showing signs of infection such as increased warmth, redness, swelling, or drainage

Also, seek medical help if:

• You or your loved one has not had a tetanus vaccination within the past five years, or if you are unsure

• You are concerned about the wound or have any questions

It can be difficult to tell if an injury will require stitches or not – particularly when it comes to our loved ones. While some cuts and lacerations can be easily treated at home, others require medical attention. If you’re uncertain how serious the injury is, it’s better to seek immediate expert medical attention. Our onsite clinicians are available on a walk-in basis and prepared to treat you with sutures, and, if needed, X-rays and tetanus shots.

Youth Sports Injuries

There’s no denying the fact that sports related injuries are on the rise among our youth in America. Why? Because children are more active than ever before – participating in higher level sports and starting at younger ages. Their growth plates are also still developing making them particularly susceptible to overuse injuries and fractures. And because their bones heal so quickly, it’s critical they get proper diagnosis and treatment fast, to ensure they heal correctly and avoid potential for long term issues.

The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reports that 3.5 million children under 15 are treated for sports injuries each year. Recreational and sports related injuries account for approximately 3.2 million visits to emergency rooms a year for children ages 5-14. But what happens at the ER? Parents wait several hours only to be referred to see an orthopedic specialist and pay again.

Not anymore. Instant Ortho & Pain Care provide comprehensive orthopedic care on a walk-in basis for youth sports injuries, sports-focused rehabilitation services and concussion care.

Adult Sports Injuries

When it comes to injuries, kids are not the only ones “at risk”. Adults sometimes overestimate their abilities to “play like they used to” in their youth and push themselves to the point of injury. Whether you’re a weekend warrior, walking enthusiast, amateur or elite athlete, or if you have a child playing youth sports, you’re probably familiar with sports injuries. Now you can save time, money and the aggravation of multiple referrals by making Instant Ortho your first visit.

Sports Physicals

As parents, we strive to provide quality education for the future of our children. What about quality health? Yearly physicals are extremely important for kids – yet often overlooked. Why should annual sports physicals be a priority in your child’s life?

• Identify risk factors of specific sports related activities

• Detect conditions in early stages that may need monitoring

• Get training tips to help avoid injuries

• Maintain peak performance – on and off the field

Get your athlete ready for their best season ever at any one of our convenient locations.

Ready for Back to School?

It is important to make sure your children are prepared for going back to school. That includes taking preventive measures for pediatric orthopedic health.