When you’ve got a broken bone, it makes sense that you might receive a referral to an orthopedic surgeon.

But orthopedic care is about more than just that — it also encompasses sports medicine and treatments for knee, hip or shoulder pain, swelling or other musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.

Sports medicine physician Dr. Stephan Prô, of OrthoKansas, said that orthopedic care encompasses more than many people might expect.

“OrthoKansas is a multidisciplinary clinic that specializes in treating the breadth of MSK conditions,” Prô said. “While we certainly treat broken bones, we also provide care for patients with other muscle or tendon issues.”

Orthopedic care covers many procedures you might not think of at first, such as joint replacements. The physicians and surgeons at OrthoKansas said their clinic treats a diverse mix of conditions, including arthritis, osteoporosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, limited range of motion and muscle and tendon injuries. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Adam Goodyear said the clinic cares for patients of all ages and conditions — “from infant and pediatric injuries to end-stage active people and everything in between.”

Seeking orthopedic care

If over-the-counter medications or rest, ice, compression and elevation haven’t alleviated your symptoms, Prô said it’s probably time to seek medical help.

Before your visit with an orthopedic care provider, you can do some preparation to ensure that your appointment goes smoothly. Here are some things you can do:

• Make sure that your prior medical records or imaging are available. Contact previous providers to provide authorization to release your information.

• Write down your injury history and share that during your appointment.

• Evaluate your pain so you can share where and how frequently it occurs and what aggravates the injury.

When you first visit a provider, it’s important to be patient, Goodyear said.

“The biggest thing you can do is to be patient, especially if there’s any wait time before we can see you in the clinic, as we sometimes have to wait for swelling to go down before treatment,” he said. “We want to take care of every patient’s complaints and problems and we’ll do it in the timeliest manner possible.”

When you’re evaluated at the first appointment, you can expect to undergo a thorough examination that may include X-rays or other types of imaging. LMH Health has a partnership with the radiologists at Radiologic Professional Services, who have specialized training in imaging for musculoskeletal conditions. The LMH Health West Campus has access to sophisticated imaging technology, including a 3 Tesla MRI that offers higher-resolution images and a robotic advanced X-ray system — a type of technology that’s used by some professional sports teams.

A variety of options for treatment

After the examination and imaging, it’s time to figure out a treatment plan. Goodyear said that “treatment plans are patient-driven, meaning that we provide you with information, but it’s a shared decision-making process between the patient and provider.”

“We won’t dictate what your process is going to be,” Goodyear said.

Surgery isn’t always the first approach to care. Depending on your history and examination, your doctor may recommend conservative treatment options before discussing surgical options.

“We might recommend nonsurgical treatments like taking a course of anti-inflammatory medications, injections or physical therapy or a combination of these interventions,” Prô said.

If medication and therapy don’t relieve pain and improve function, you may need surgery to repair your injury. Goodyear said the OrthoKansas clinic performs a variety of surgeries: “almost any MSK surgery you can think of, with the exception of tumor or soft tissue sarcoma surgeries.”

“If you need care outside the scope of our expertise, we’ll use our relationships with other providers to get you where you need to be,” he said.

Providing care throughout the region

Goodyear said OrthoKansas has partnerships with a number of health care providers throughout Kansas, including Newman Regional Health in Emporia, F.W. Huston Medical Center in Winchester and Holton Community Hospital.

But it’s not just about partnerships with other health care providers — the clinic also partners with a number of sports programs. That includes the Kansas Team Health organization that provides care for University of Kansas athletes. OrthoKansas also serves the athletic programs at Baker University and Emporia State University.

It also includes high school sports. OrthoKansas athletic trainers are integrated into high schools in Baldwin City, Basehor-Linwood, Eudora, Lawrence, McLouth, Perry-Lecompton and Tonganoxie.

• Autumn Bishop is the marketing manager and content strategist at LMH Health, which is a major sponsor of the Journal-World’s Health section.