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Home >> Services >> Orthopaedic Care

Orthopaedic Care in Port Angeles & Sequim

Residents of the North Olympic Peninsula can receive a wide spectrum of orthopaedic care close to home thanks to Olympic Medical Physicians Orthopaedic Clinic, located in both Port Angeles and Sequim.

Joint pain caused by osteoarthritis or injury can limit mobility and make everyday activities difficult. The inconvenience of traveling to Seattle to consult with an orthopaedic surgeon adds a level of anxiety to the pain. Thankfully, local residents don't have to travel far for comprehensive orthopaedic care.

Physical therapy before and after surgery, and any necessary follow-up visits with an orthopaedist, can all take place minutes from home. Surgical procedures are performed in state-of-the-art surgical suites, conveniently located at Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles.

Same-Day Care
Loren Larson, MD, orthopaedic surgeon and medical director of the Orthopaedic Clinic, performs many procedures on an outpatient basis, meaning the patient leaves home in the morning for surgery and returns home that evening. These outpatient procedures include arthroscopy, a procedure that involves examining the surfaces inside the knee, allowing Dr. Larson to evaluate and treat cartilage, ligaments and tendons.

"I can help young athletes with a small meniscal tear using a procedure that takes less than 30 minutes and requires less than four weeks of recovery," Dr. Larson says. "On the other end of the spectrum, we can also perform anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or rotator cuff repair that may require six to nine months of rehabilitation. Throughout the process, patients can see their orthopaedic surgeon or certified physician assistant in the Olympic Medical Physicians Orthopaedic Clinic in Sequim or Port Angeles for convenient follow-up care or questions after surgery. Our close collaboration with Olympic Medical Center physical therapists helps us provide a complete continuum of excellent orthopaedic care for local residents."

Orthopaedic Options
"When joint pain interferes with patients' lives, we will look at ways to manage pain, such as exercise, muscle strengthening, physical therapy and weight loss," says Keith Ure, MD, orthopaedic surgeon at Olympic Medical Physicians Orthopaedic Clinic. "Injections in the affected joint and prescription medication can calm symptoms and improve quality of life before surgery is recommended. Surgical care ranges from arthroscopy to remove damaged tissue from the joint, to total joint replacement surgery."

Accelerating Recovery
Patients who undergo joint replacement and subsequent rehabilitation experience reduced swelling and pain after physical activity.

Patients can expect an average hospital stay of only two nights before returning home or, if needed, transferring to one of two extended care facilities -- Sequim Health and Rehabilitation or Avamere Olympic Rehabilitation of Sequim for additional skilled rehabilitation.

"Extended care is a big plus for patients who live alone or whose spouse cannot meet the additional demands of post-surgery care," Dr. Ure says. "Patients can focus on intensive physical rehabilitation in a comfortable setting, without the worry of preparing their own meals and performing other household chores."

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Orthopaedic surgeons Keith Ure, MD, (left) and Loren Larson, MD, consult on a knee surgery case.

Offering Valuable Assistance

When a patient visits Olympic Medical Physicians Orthopaedic Clinic, the first provider he or she is likely to meet is a certified physician assistant (PA-C). Physician assistants play an important role across the spectrum of orthopaedic care, performing many tasks that allow orthopaedic surgeons to focus on offering the best treatment possible.

"When a patient visits the office, I obtain a detailed history of the body part in question and review the patient's medical records," says Kay O'Neill, PA-C, certified physician assistant at Olympic Medical Physicians Orthopaedic Clinic. "I also perform a physical exam of the body part, and if imaging has been ordered, I review the images with the patient."

The physician assistant is the surgeon's second set of hands during surgical procedures, typically helping by setting up equipment and assisting in exposing bones during surgery. Physician assistants see patients during office follow-up visits and perform tasks such as changing casts, administering injections or initiating physical or occupational therapy when appropriate.

"Physician assistants often have more time to answer patients' questions," O'Neill says. "I've had some patients who were initially reluctant to see me instead of a physician, but by the time we finished speaking, they thanked me and said they better understood why they needed treatment. I love empowering patients through knowledge of their own condition."

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