6 ways to treat your sprained ankle With spring just around the corner, Direct Orthopedic Care (DOC) is seeing a variety of sporting injuries. One of the most common injuries that patients present with at our clinics is the ankle sprain. For active individuals, early treatment of a sprain is crucial for a speedy recovery. Here are 6 measures you should take when you have an ankle sprain. 1.     Rest – As hard as it may be for some individuals, taking time to allow your ankle to recover can make all the difference. If this is not an option for you, crutches might ..read more

How fractures are different in children It seems that kids are always getting injured, and bone breaks are an especially common injury. Notably, fractures in children are handled differently than fractures in adults. First, kids heal at a faster rate compared to adults, usually in weeks instead of months. The younger the child, the faster they tend to heal. In numerous cases, surgical intervention will be required for the same fracture in adults, while in children a cast is sufficient for proper treatment. Children are often monitored more closely and frequently than adults because they have ..read more

  Physical Therapy Direct Orthopedic Care (DOC) uses diverse tools to get patients back doing the activities they love. Physical therapy is one of the most widely used tools by our orthopedic providers. A physical therapist is a trained professional who restores a patient’s strength and motion following an injury or surgery. Therapists can teach patients specific exercises, stretches, and techniques, many of which are difficult to manage without the physical therapist’s expertise. Physical therapists play a vital role in the recovery process after an injury or surgical procedure. Therapi ..read more

  How to decide if you need a total ankle replacement Dr. Travis Kemp, one of our orthopedic surgeon partners, performs foot and ankle surgeries. One of the more common surgeries Dr. Kemp performs is a total ankle replacement. The purpose of a total ankle replacement is to provide relief from pain while still allowing the ankle to move. Usually, stiffness in the joint develops as a result of arthritis. In some cases, ankle fusion is used to treat arthritis in the joint. During ankle fusion, the tibia and talus heal together to create a single bone. This helps patients with pain relief bu ..read more

  Rotator cuff tears are a common injury to the shoulder joint occurring in patients of all ages. These tears can be devastating for patients given how vital shoulder mobility is for everyday activities. What is wrong with my shoulder? There are key symptoms included in diagnosing a rotator cuff tear. The first symptom patients usually notice is pain. The pain is often most severe when performing overhead activities, focused on the outside of the shoulder, and in some cases, the pain prevents a good night’s sleep. Secondly, weakness is a common symptom of a rotator cuff tears. Our provi ..read more

  We see a vast amount of non-surgical conditions at our orthopedic urgent care clinic, Direct Orthopedic Care (DOC), which is located in the Boise area. Our physician assistants (PA), with the help of our sport medicine physicians, Dr. Craig Smith and Dr. Mark Williams, help patients to manage and treat their conditions . One of the most common conditions they manage is known as frozen shoulder. What is frozen shoulder? Often referred to as adhesive capsulitis, frozen shoulder is a condition that limits range of motion in the shoulder joint. The capsule around the shoulder contrac ..read more

  Do I have a meniscus tear? One of the most common knee injuries seen here at Direct Orthopedic Care (DOC) in Boise, Idaho is a meniscus tear. The meniscus refers to the pieces of cartilage located on either side of the knee, namely the medial and lateral menisci. The purpose of the meniscus is to provide cushioning and protection for ligaments in the knee. In some cases, the meniscus is damaged slowly over time, causing fraying that cannot be repaired. Meniscus tears in younger adults are usually clean tears, which are easier to repair. When someone injures their meniscus, they usually ..read more

  How to choose — podiatrist or orthopedist Dr. Travis Kemp, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in the foot and ankle, answers this question frequently. There are some key differences between podiatrists and orthopedic surgeons that are important to understand when seeking treatments. The most significant difference between a podiatrist and an orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon is the amount of education and training each professional completes. An orthopedic surgeon completes 4 years of medical school, a 5-year orthopedic surgery residency, and 1 year of foot and ankle fellowship trainin ..read more

  PA’s — The vital element in efficient orthopedic care At Direct Orthopedic Care (DOC), located in Boise, Meridian, and Nampa, we have adopted an innovative orthopedic urgent care model staffed by experienced physician assistants (PA) and sports medicine physicians. DOC is the first adopter of this efficient care model in the Treasure Valley. DOC is locally owned and operated by a group of physicians and PAs. Here at DOC, there are 9 PAs with a combined experience in orthopedics of 35 years. With their surgical and non-surgical orthopedic experience, they can treat nonsurgical orthopedi ..read more

  All our providers at Direct Orthopedic Care recommend that patients quit smoking to aid in the healing process. Most patients know about the more prominent effects of smoking, including heart disease and lung cancer, but few know about the significant impact of smoking on their bone health. Countless research findings indicate that the rate of healing, and the effectiveness of healing, is favorable in non-smokers compared to smokers. One study showed that, after arthroscopic shoulder surgery, 95% of non-smokers healed completely, whereas only 68% of smokers healed completely. Additiona ..read more