Brian Coté, DO

There are a variety of injuries that can occur to our skin and other soft tissues, like the mouth and tongue, which may require professional care. There can also be injuries to underlying tissues, including adipose tissue (fat), muscles and tendons, and sometimes ligaments and bone. Numerous blood vessels (arteries and veins) and important nerves throughout these layers can be injured as well. Our focus in this segment is to help our readers identify when a soft tissue wound needs sutures or more in-depth care, as opposed to simple home treatment.

Yes folks, it’s that time again! Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year are just around the corner. But that also means that the dreaded flu season is lurking around the corner, too.

In our last blog, we defined and described signs, symptoms and initial evaluation of concussions. This month, we’ll talk about treatment, activity restrictions and prevention of head injuries. To summarize, concussion is a mild brain injury resulting from a sudden, significant force upon the head or upper body which results in headache and a variety of alterations in a person mental processing. A concussion is a clinical diagnosis. In other words, it is made based upon a history and examination. Sometimes a CT scan and other studies are necessary to rule out more serious conditions.

As warmer weather approaches, we become more physically active, especially outdoors. It's also a time that emergency departments and urgent care centers are treating more head injuries.

Head injuries occur in all ages. The vast majority (80%) of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are mild. Forces which cause head injuries may be (direct) from a sudden direct blow to the head, or (indirect) from forces such as sudden acceleration/deceleration which results in movement of the brain inside the skull. Either type of injury can result in a concussion.

Whenever an unexpected illness or injury occurs, a decision is required: where to receive a medical evaluation and treatment? Many times your private physician’s office may be able to accommodate an urgent medical problem on the same day; but if not, residents and visitors of Holland and Zeeland are fortunate to have a choice of either emergency care or urgent care. Then, the question quickly becomes: where should I go? How early or late are they open? What is the expected wait time? Will my insurance cover the visit?

Hours vs. Minutes