December 20, 2016 - TCO

Twin Cities Orthopedics opens hand center in Maple Grove

Twin Cities Orthopedics has extended the reach of hand care in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

The Hand Center, TCO’s subspecialty center, opened in July in an expanded space on the first floor of the Grove Health West building at 9630 Grove Circle N., Suite #104, in Maple Grove.

The beautiful state-of-the-art space dedicated to hand care includes:

• Open, comfortable waiting-room area
• Bright, open space for hand therapy
• Separate splinting stations for several patients at one time
• Adjustable monitors and work stations for patients, physicians and therapists
• Exam rooms
• X-ray room
• Procedure room
• Recovery area

“The expanded space gives us the opportunity to come up with a one-stop shop for patients to come here for certain procedures,” Dr. Mark Fischer said. “The advantage is cost savings and more convenience for the patient.”

The Hand Center also shares suite space with TCO’s Orthopedic Urgent Care clinic.

TCO Maple Grove – as well as Minnesota Prosthetics and Orthotics – continues to occupy Suite #200 in the same building with physical therapy, fitness classes and sports performance.

Physicians, therapy in one space

The new Hand Center space provides a streamlined and cost-effective experience. Patients can see their physician and hand therapist in the same location on the same day, and physicians are able to better track a patient’s therapy progress, creating a smooth transition from physician to therapist.

“The goal of the facility was to bring those elements together. That’s what we’ve accomplished,” Dr. Fischer said. “It’s a more personal approach and easier for both the doctor and the patient during hand exams. It allows people to relax.”

Dr. Fischer, Dr. Jason Dahl and Dr. David Gerlach are the three hand surgeons who regularly are on site at the Hand Center. The trio are able to share their expertise for a variety of hand ailments and solve issues from simple treatments to complex problems that may require more than a standard step-by-step approach.

“We are readily accessible,” certified hand therapist Rochelle Lindow, OTR/L, CHT, said. “We are able to treat everything from cyst excisions to multiple trauma of the upper extremity. We will also see patients from our Orthopedic Urgent Care on a same-day basis when we are available.”

Hand therapist Lisa Smith, MS, OTR/L, CHT; occupational therapists Abby Lipanot, MOT, OTR/L; and Courtney Mason, MOT, OTR/L; and physician assistant Kelly Vanderheyden, PA-C, also work at the Hand Center.

Hand therapy hours are available from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Treatment at the Hand Center

The physicians and therapists at the Hand Center see patients for a variety of reasons, including arthritis and thumb pain. If you’re living with pain in your hands or upper extremities, don’t wait to get it checked out.

“It’s difficult to do anything without your hands,” Lindow said. “Sometimes people put it off for as long as they can.”

Not every condition is treated with surgery. Hand therapy can provide a patient with a conservative treatment plan, techniques, range of motion and strengthening exercises to help reduce or eliminate pain and improve function in daily activities.

Call (763) 302-2313 for more information about the Hand Center in Maple Grove or go to TCOmn.com to find all locations for hand care at TCO.