When Doctors Patrick Boyett and Bill Lawrence were attending med school together at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, (better known as KCUMB,) they dreamed of becoming partners in a general orthopedic practice. Today that dream has become a reality, and the team at OrthoSports Athens is located at a beautiful new facility in the Limestone Medical Village on Hwy 72, across from Publix.
What I enjoyed about my time with these docs is their obvious friendship, and their love for Athens as well as their families. They consider themselves to be “hometown specialists,” and are sons of the South. Patrick grew up in Alabama, and Bill in Mississippi. Patrick opened the clinic up in August of 2011, and Bill joined him just a few months later, in January of 2012. “It’s been a great first year,” they both said with enthusiasm.
The Boyetts have 4 kids, the Lawrences 2, all of whom are attending public school here in Athens. They understand the concerns parents have when their kids break a bone or tear a ligament. “We’ll treat you and your family the way we’d treat ourselves and our family,” says Bill. They are also seeing an increase in sports injuries amongst school aged kids, and stressed to me the importance of pre-season conditioning for young athletes. Kids need to stretch and prepare for their sport prior to the beginning of the season, and all the more if they are competing in various sports year round. “They also need to learn when to rest,” added Dr. Bill.
While treating children with sports related injuries is a part of their practice, they treat people of all age groups. They do hip replacements, minimal incision arthroscopic knee and shoulder repair, hand surgery, fracture care, general orthopedic bone, joint and nerve surgery, and sports medicine. A practice specialty of OrthoSports Athens is doing hip replacements using a technique called the anterior approach. This way of coming from the front spares the muscles from undo assault, resulting in much less pain, smaller scars, and a shorter recovery period with a greater level of total rehabilitation. I was impressed with their level of professionalism, and their cutting edge approach to “all things ortho.” For example, they are most often able to get MRIs back and read the same day, facilitated by the Athens Limestone Hospital MRI clinic located right next door. OrthoSports Athens also features in house X-rays as well as musculo-skeleton ultrasound services.
Athens Limestone Hospital has also purchased a special table for orthopedic surgery known as a Hana Hip and Knee Arthroplasty table that Drs. Boyett and Lawrence, as well as other orthopedic surgeons must get a considerable amount of training in order to use. Though the table cost a hundred thousand dollars, the improvement in the surgical process it has brought for both patients and doctors has been well worth it. Both Dr. Boyett and Dr. Lawrence are continually upgrading their skills by getting continuing education credits, not just for the Hana table, but other advancements in orthopedic care.
When I am considering trusting a new doctor with the “temple” God gave me, one of the things I pay attention to is the staff that works at the clinic. Do they seem to enjoy working there? Do they like each other? Is there what can only be described as a “team spirit?” How do they treat the patients? Though my contact with the staff was brief, the “10 seconds that it takes to make a first impression” let me know that if I, a family member or friend were in need of a good “orthopod,” this would be a great place to come.
Another thing that gave me confidence that OrthoSports Athens offers excellent care is its website. While I realize that a certain segment of the population would never “shop” online for a doc, I noticed that if you take the time to visit www.orthosportsathens.com, you can learn a lot about your own body and what to expect if you need their services. The site has links to other medical info sites, bios, an explanation of services, information regarding insurance coverage, scheduling surgery, and post operative rehabilitation. It is also possible to download patient forms prior to visiting the clinic. The website is well designed, user friendly, and they employ a full time IT guy to take care of it as well as other systems that keep OrthoSports Athens running smoothly.
If you or your child are in need of state of the art treatment, and comfortable care with a “hometown touch,” I believe OrthoSports Athens, “where motion is life,” is the place where you’ll find what you are looking for.
OrthoSports Athens
15243 Greenfield Drive
Athens, AL 35613
256-233-2332
Hours: Mon-Thur 8-12, then 1-5, Fri 8-12
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
