When to see an Orthopedic Specialist with Dr. Michael Parman
When it comes to orthopedic injuries and pain, it is important to know when you should see a specialist – especially one that cares about getting you back to the things you love. Dr. Michael Parman, OSMS Orthopedic Surgeon, describes the injuries and conditions he sees and treats, along with what patients can expect from him as their orthopedic surgeon.
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself – who are you and why did you become an orthopedic surgeon?
“When I was growing up, I had a lot of experiences visiting my local orthopedic surgeon, due to some major athletic injuries, and had great experiences. I built a great relationship with him and built trust in him. He was able to get me back to the activities that I really enjoyed. I think that, mixed with the anatomy classes in college and in medical school, really sparked my interest in becoming an orthopedic surgeon. Now, I feel really blessed being able to use that knowledge to help other patients get back to the activities that they enjoy on a day-to-day basis.”
Q: Based on the relationship that you had with your orthopedic physician, what can patients expect from you as their orthopedic physician?
“Patients can expect from me to really sit down with them and listen and figure out what’s going on, providing a unique, individualized recommendation from me. Each patient has their own unique story or circumstance and oftentimes that story or circumstance is more important than the underlying condition or the injury that’s causing them pain in the first place. Having good communication, listening, and being on the same page with patients is incredibly important in forming the correct diagnosis. Then, coming up with an individualized treatment plan for the best scenarios moving forward.”
Q: Knowing that you are sports med trained, what are some of the injuries and conditions that you see and treat?
“As an orthopedic surgeon, I do see a wide variety of musculoskeletal injuries, however, my focus and my passion does indeed lie in sports medicine. Those injuries often involve injuries around the shoulder, such as rotator cuff tear, shoulder dislocation and instability. Other sports injuries I see include knee injuries such as meniscus tears or other ligament injuries such as ACL injuries. Oftentimes, injuries surrounding ligaments and tendons can be treated non-operatively. If they do need surgery, many times they can be treated arthroscopically. This means using a small camera, as well as a video screen, to perform the procedure through small poke-hole incisions in order to obtain a good repair while minimizing other tissue damage.”
Q: If I do suffer an injury whether it’s from a sport or something else, how do I know when it’s a good time to see an orthopedic physician?
“Many times, pain from minor injuries or aches and pains that sometimes sort of come up out of nowhere, can get better with activity, modification, rest, ice, and medications. I would say a good time to come into an orthopedic surgeon, and be evaluated, is if your pain continues after trying those things first. There are other times when you should come in to see an orthopedic surgeon such as after significant injuries, major trauma, or if you’re unable to move an arm or a leg because of severe pain, or if you’re unable to walk at all because the pain is so severe. Those are more red flag symptoms and it’s usually best to be checked out sooner rather than later by an orthopedic surgeon.”
OSMS has locations in Green Bay, Marinette, Neenah and Oshkosh. To make an appointment, give us a call at (920)-430-8113 or Schedule an Appointment.
