Every Ridgeline surgeon treats fractures in their region: the hand surgeons fix wrists and fingers, Dr. Hoopes fixes ankles, Dr. Christensen and Dr. Taylor fix shoulders and collarbones, and Dr. Wallentine leads hip and femur fractures.Most fractures do not need surgery. The ones that do are best fixed within one to two weeks, so we strive to see acute injuries the same day or within days.Our surgeons hold privileges across both hospital systems in Utah Valley, so surgery happens where it is soonest, not where it is convenient for us.
Fractures of the shoulder, collarbone, elbow, wrist, scaphoid, hand and fingers.Hip and femur fractures in older adults. Tibia and ankle fractures and fractures around the knee. Dislocations of the shoulder, elbow and fingers.Tendon, ligament and nerve injuries that travel with those fractures, and complex injuries where bone, soft tissue and skin all need repair.And the problems that follow a fracture years later: nonunion, malunion and post-traumatic arthritis.
Andrews Institute sports medicine fellowship under Dr. James Andrews. Board certified in orthopedic surgery and orthopedic sports medicine. Fluent in Spanish.
Weill Cornell graduate, hand fellowship at Allegheny General. Twenty-one years in practice and seventeen as a collegiate team physician.
Fracture and Trauma Care
Procedures We Perform
Fracture fixation and hip, collarbone, femur, tibia and wrist fractures are listed here. Scaphoid and ankle fracture repair and distal biceps repair are under Procedures.
Knees tell us a lot by how they hurt: a pop and swelling, a catch, or stiffness that built over years.
Fracture and Trauma Care
When to See Us
Go to the nearest emergency department first for any open wound over a bone, a limb that is deformed or cannot bear weight, a cold or numb hand or foot, or a fall with hip pain in an older adult.From there, or from an urgent care or primary care physician, fractures are seen in our clinic within days. Most fractures that need surgery are best fixed within one to two weeks.A fracture that was treated in a cast elsewhere and still hurts, or looks wrong, is worth a second look.
Timely · Professional · Expert
Hurt Today? Call Today.
We strive to offer same-day appointments for acute orthopedic injuries: a fall, a pop, a dislocated joint, or a fracture splinted in an emergency room.One number reaches both clinics. Tell the front desk what happened and they will find the first opening with the right surgeon.This is not an urgent care. It is a direct line to a fellowship-trained surgeon when an injury should not wait weeks.
Bring any X-rays or CT scans already taken, or tell us where they were done and we will retrieve them.We re-examine the injury, check the nerves and blood vessels, and decide between cast, brace or surgery.Our surgeons hold privileges at Utah Valley Hospital, Timpanogos Regional, American Fork, Orem Community, Spanish Fork, Mountain View and Mountain Point, so surgery is scheduled where it is fastest for you.Every fracture gets a follow-up schedule and a plan for getting motion back once the bone has healed.
Fracture and Trauma Care
Does My Fracture Need Surgery?
It depends on three things: whether the bone pieces are displaced, whether the fracture reaches into a joint, and whether a cast can hold it still long enough to heal.Stable, well-aligned fractures heal in a cast or brace. Displaced fractures, joint fractures and fractures in patients who cannot afford weeks of immobilization are fixed with plates, screws, rods or pins so motion can start early.
In older adults, some fractures of the hip and shoulder are treated with replacement rather than fixation, because it gets the patient standing sooner.
ContactTalk toa real person.Two clinics, one number to call or text. Same-day appointments for acute injuries whenever we can. The front desk will match you with the right surgeon.
