South Florida Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Alejandro Badia with Tips on Staying Safe in Hurricane Dorian

MIAMI, August 30, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Hurricane Dorian is on its way to Florida, with weathermen foretelling that it will be a serious storm, possibly a Category 3 status, and warning Florida residents of 'hazardous conditions' ahead. South Florida based Orthopedic Surgeon and hand and upper extremity specialist and founder of OrthoNOW® walk-in Orthopedic Clinics, Dr. Alejandro Badia shares concerns for the community. He warns of potential injuries to joints, bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, from the storm itself and from preparation for the storm.

He offers the following tips for injury prevention and treatment:

• Safely install shutters: Plan ahead of the storm, work with a partner for installation, wear heavy gloves to avoid injury to the hands, and allow time to complete the job before the storm.
• Be careful in protecting your spine and shoulders while moving furniture and other items in advance of the storm.
• If you do get injured with a strain or sprain, or suspect a fracture, apply ice if you have it. Keep the limb stable and free from movement.
• Prepare a temporary splint using common items such as thin boards, magazines, or cardboard. Wrap with a bandage or tape until you can get urgent care.
• Always stay indoors during a hurricane. Strong winds send objects flying, so stay away from windows.
• Use extra caution on ladders in storm preparation to avoid falls.
• If the task seems too risky, it probably is. Remember not to place the value of property higher than the value of your personal wellbeing.

Dr. Badia advises that if you do get hurt in what you consider a non-life-threatening way, that you avoid the emergency room which can take hours, be costly and pull ER personnel from treating more life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks, and seek medical help from a walk-in clinic first.

"As always, our mission is to help people in time of need," adds Dr. Badia. When an event such as a hurricane takes place, there are many injuries that happen before, during and after the storm; injuries such as cuts and bruises, broken bones, sprains and strains become very common. If you have sustained an injury to the foot, ankle, knee, hip, wrist, hand, elbow, shoulder and/or spine it's strongly recommended to avoid ERs altogether.

Dr. Badia's network of OrthoNOW clinics will be open throughout the storm to help treat a wide variety of musculoskeletal injuries to hands, arms, shoulders, legs and more. Moreover, if you can't get to a clinic and need medical advice on an orthopedic issue, Dr. Badia suggests utilizing its telehealth service at OrthoNOWLive.com where support services will be made available at half price for people affected by the storm or storm preparations.

Bio: Alejandro Badia, MD, FACS, internationally renowned hand and upper-limb surgeon and founder of Badia Hand to Shoulder Center and OrthoNOW®, a walk-in orthopedic care clinic. He is a member the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, American Association for Hand Surgery and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. He is a specialist in treating all problems related to the hand and upper extremity including trauma, sports injury, joint reconstruction, nerve injuries and arthroscopic surgeries. OrthoNOWcare.com and drbadia.com.

SOURCE Dr. Alejandro Badia