When Jessica Blaser, a busy mom of six, needed help for her hip pain, she was concerned about what treatment might entail. Finding a doctor she could trust was important to her. When she met with orthopedic surgeon Blake Obrock, DO, of Northwest Physicians Group at Ridgeview, she was immediately reassured by his skilled assessment and his honesty.
“A lot of times, treatment does not involve surgery, and you can give people the stability they need by working on functional mechanics,” Dr. Obrock explains. For Blaser, the problems she was experiencing were centered in her hip and back, and he recommended that the best course of treatment would be physical therapy. He was very encouraging about her getting a second opinion, which she appreciated. “I want a doctor who can look at other sides,” she says. The second doctor confirmed Dr. Obrock’s recommendation, and physical therapy proved to be just what she needed.
Around that same time, Blaser’s 13-year-old son, Duke, broke his collarbone in a football game and also went to see Dr. Obrock. This time, surgery was recommended. Dr. Obrock, a fellowship-trained sports medicine surgeon, explains that treatment for collarbone injuries is evolving, and letting them heal on their own is not always advised. “If a clavicle (collarbone) shortens up too much, it really affects people’s overhead strength, it affects their ability to throw a ball … and sometimes when it doesn’t heal right they may be plagued with pain for the rest of their life.”
Duke’s outpatient procedure at Northwest Surgical Hospital took about an hour, and he was able to remove his sling and use his arm after just a couple days. “They were very gentle with him and very careful,” says Blaser. Today she and Duke are both doing great, but if she needs hip surgery in the future, she knows where she can go. “I’m sure I’ll be at Northwest,” she says.
To request an appointment with an orthopedic doctor at the Northwest Physicians Group at Ridgeview, call 806-398-3627 or visit nwtpg.com/ortho.