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Author Archives: Trudy
Strains, Sprains and Broken Bones
By: AKBER AHMAD, M.D.
Imagine you’re walking the dog — you suddenly trip over a stone, fall and twist your ankle. You feel a sharp pain and your ankle starts to swell. You’re hurt, but is it a strain, sprain or broken bone? Should you apply ice, head to the emergency room, get an X-Ray?
Mild strains and sprains can often be treated at home, while broken bones should always be evaluated by your healthcare provider. Here’s how to handle each kind of injury.
Types of Injuries
Strains are damage to muscles and tendons when a joint is pulled or stretched too far. Strains are most common in the lower back or leg muscles, but can also occur in the wrist, ankle and other parts of the body. Pain, swelling and muscle spasms are usual symptoms of a strain.
Sprains are when ligaments are overstretched or torn. (Ligaments are fibrous tissue that connect two bones together in your joints.) Sprains often happen to ankles, knees and wrists. Symptoms include swelling and pain – similar to a strain – but usually also bruising.
Breaks are a fracture, chip or complete break in a bone. With a broken bone, you’ll probably experience sudden and severe pain, swelling and bruising, and you may not be able to move or put weight on the injury.
Diagnosing the injury
Mild sprains and strains can often be treated at home, but if you have more severe symptoms, consult your healthcare provider. If you suspect a broken bone, it needs to be evaluated.
A physical exam may be enough to identify the injury, but your provider may also recommend medical imaging, such as an X-Ray, MRI or CT scan, which produce detailed images of tissue and bones.
Treatment
Rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE) is often the best treatment for sprains and strains. RICE relieves pain, limits swelling and speeds healing. Start RICE right after the injury and do all four parts at the same time:
- Move the injured area as little as possible.
- Apply ice to reduce inflammation. Cover the injured area with an ice pack wrapped in a thin towel for about 15 to 20 minutes, three to four times a day.
- Using a pressure bandage helps prevent or reduce swelling. Use an elastic bandage and wrap the injured area snuggly, but don’t cut off your circulation.
- Raise the injured area above the level of your heart. Prop up a leg or arm while resting it.
Using RICE, you may soon see improvement in an injury. But if your symptoms continue after a few days or if they get worse, contact your healthcare provider.
Dr. Ahmad cares for patients in the Arnold office. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University.
MPCP Glen Burnie Welcomes Elizabeth MacNaught, CRNP
Ms. MacNaught is certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Towson University and her Master’s of Science in Nursing from Drexel University. We welcome this bright, enthusiastic provider to our practice!
Patient Advocacy Corner: Maryland’s ER Wait Times…Yikes!
By: ARIEL J. WARDEN-JARRETT, MD, FAAFP
Maryland continues to have one of the longest wait times for patients to be evaluated in the emergency department. At one point, wait times in some hospital systems were as long as 16-24+ hours. I think most of us can agree that this is ridiculous, but that does not change the reality.
Our hospital systems and state legislators are looking in depth as to why this is the case. In the meantime efforts were made to pass legislation that would allow qualified immigrants to apply for certain hospital positions in order to help decrease staffing shortages. Only time will tell if this proves to be an effective measure. I think the root of the problem exceeds hospital staffing issues. We need more access to primary care physicians.
As a board-certified family physician, I have some tips to share with you that may help you and your family avoid the emergency department in the first place. I believe one of the possible root causes of prolonged wait times is that individuals are not utilizing the primary care setting appropriately. Health issues that could be optimally addressed in this setting are getting pushed to the understaffed and overwhelmed emergency department settings. This won’t be solved overnight, but here are 10 things you can do to decrease your need for an emergency department visit, because we want to keep you out of the emergency departments, and utilize them for true emergencies…
- Establish a relationship with a primary care physician. Someone needs to know you and care about your specific needs. You are important and special!
- Schedule your annual physical. This gives you an opportunity to discuss your health, identify potential concerns and place a treatment/prevention plan in place. After all, healthy people tend to not need the emergency room on a regular basis, if at all.
- Schedule regular interval visits with your provider to maintain/control your chronic health conditions. For example, If you have asthma, COPD, diabetes, heart disease or other significant condition, you should have an action plan — this will help to decrease your chances of needing the ER.
- Do not wait until the last minute to call your doctor’s office when you have an urgent need. Yes, we have staffing issues too, but we are here to serve you. Let the trained staff help guide you to seeing an available provider who can evaluate you ASAP rather than “waiting” to see your preferred provider who may be booked up. At MPCP, we consider you our family. Yes, you have a preferred provider, but during an emergency, if your preferred provider is not available, it’s ok to see another provider in the office.
- Do not let your medications run out. If cost is a concern, let your provider know, as we have access to some programs that may be able to assist you. We do not want your health to deteriorate because you did not have access to your medication(s). We want to help you stay as healthy and robust as possible.
- When in doubt, call us. Our trained staff can triage your needs to guide you as to prioritizing the setting where your health concerns should be addressed (office, after-hours telemedicine, urgent care or the emergency department).
- Make your health a priority! Years ago, a patient told me that when they became sick at work, their employer refused to let them leave for a doctor’s visit and told them to go to the ER after work. Sadly, that is what happened, but it is wrong! You have employee and patient rights. Become familiar with them, exercise them and advocate for yourself.
- Ensure that you are building a robust immune system. Get adequate sleep (7-8 hours/night), exercise 45-60 min at least 3-5 days per week, avoid excessive caffeine, limit stress, eat balanced and healthy meals, limit alcohol intake, spend time outdoors (with sunscreen), spend time with family/friends.
- Know your medications and take them as prescribed. Review them at each visit with your provider. Let your provider know about supplements or other medications you may take. This will help to decrease medication-related emergencies.
- Read number 6 again.
At MPCP, we strive to create the best healthcare experience for you. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your patient-centered medical homes.
