Keep Your Head in the Game

Keep Your Head in the Game

Spring ushers in warmer temperatures, beautiful blooms and extended daylight hours, so it’s no surprise that the season for more outdoor is also the season for broken bones. Increased physical activity leads to increased likelihood of bone fractures and breaks.

Warm spring and summer days mean many children are heading outdoors to participate in their favorite sport. The football, baseball and soccer fields all see extensive action during this time of year. Inevitably, many young athletes will suffer an injury that requires medical attention. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, nearly 3.5 million sports related injuries occur each year in the United States to children younger than age 15, with fractures among the most common. When that occurs, children are often referred to an orthopedic specialist for treatment. Parents, take note: The signs and symptoms of a fracture may include swelling (most common), fever and redness.

Of course, children are not the only ones to suffer from fractures. The average adult will sustain two fractures over a lifetime, according to a survey by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. About 6.3 million fractures occur each year, with 40 percent at home, inside or outside. Broken bones generate 3.5 million annual visits to the emergency room, and 57 percent of these fractures belong to people 65 plus.

Brad Lawson, M.D., of Central States Orthopedics, explains, “Bones are more pliable when you are younger and get more brittle as you age. Children often engage in riskier behavior (climbing, jumping from unsafe heights, etc.), resulting in falls and similar accidents. This causes more frequent fractures. And when they get into middle and senior high schools, they play sports.”

Dr. Lawson provides hand, foot and ankle care; total joint care; general orthopedics and sports medicine care. He offers non-surgical treatment options such as prescribed medications, physical therapy, injections, splinting, casting and bracing. He can also provide surgical treatment options, such as carpal tunnel surgery, fracture fixation, arthroscopic surgery, ligament repair and reconstruction, and joint replacement surgeries. The majority of patients he sees on a weekly basis are people who have fractures of the arm, leg, foot, ankle, wrist, elbow, hand, forearm and shoulder.

“Orthopedic surgeons do more than just practice on the elderly and athletes,” said Dr. Lawson. “People need orthopedic doctors for a wide variety of ailments. We treat bones, joints, nerves, tendons, and even the skin.”

Previously injured? You may want to get his evaluation on a previous injury for which you never received proper treatment. There are many individuals who have had a minor injury, such as twisting an ankle or slipping, not realizing that they have actually broken a bone in their foot. It does happen, and they do not realize it until years later.

If surgery is needed, Dr. Lawson is available at Bailey Medical Center (Owasso), Hillcrest Hospital South (91st and Hwy. 169), St. Francis Hospital South (91st and Hwy. 169), and Oklahoma Surgical Hospital (81st and Lewis).

Dr. Lawson meets new patients in emergency rooms at Bailey Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital South frequently. If you want his skilled services when you arrive in the ER, be sure and ask for him to be your orthopedic doctor.

Dr. Lawson has provided service and sports medicine care in the Owasso, Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Claremore and Collinsville areas for the last several years. The doctor began his career in the U.S. Air Force, serving both as a general medical officer and as an orthopedic surgeon for 16 years. He lives in Owasso with his wife, Julie, and their four children.