Southern Orthopaedic Surgeons adds after-hours walk-in care in Prattville

A twisted ankle after practice or a wrist injury on a Saturday no longer has to wait until Monday in Prattville. Southern Orthopaedic Surgeons has opened after-hours walk-in care at its office at 668 McQueen Smith Road North, giving residents a same-day option for orthopedic problems outside the usual workday.

The Prattville Extended Hours service started May 8 and runs Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. No appointment is required. The clinic is limited to bone, joint and muscle complaints, including sprains, strains, sports injuries, minor fractures, joint pain and other musculoskeletal problems.

Dr. Perry Hooper, a sports medicine specialist with Southern Orthopaedic Surgeons, said Prattville and the surrounding area continue to grow and need more accessible care close to home. The new schedule is aimed at giving families and working adults a practical alternative when injuries happen after hours or on weekends, especially when the problem is serious enough to need expert orthopedic attention but not a full emergency room visit.

Dennis McMillian, PA-C, is the provider seeing patients in the extended-hours setting. For parents of student-athletes, workers who cannot leave a job during the day and residents who would otherwise travel out of town, the service adds a local option for treatment that can start the same day.

The timing matters in a city that keeps getting bigger. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates Autauga County at 61,464 residents in 2024, up from 58,805 in the 2020 Census. Prattville’s estimated population reached 40,139 in 2024, up from 37,781 in 2020.

Prattville already has a hospital in town. Prattville Baptist Hospital is a 107-bed acute care hospital serving Autauga and Elmore counties. More serious trauma cases still may need a higher level of care in Montgomery, where Baptist Medical Center South is listed by the Alabama Department of Public Health as Central Alabama’s Level II trauma center.

The new walk-in orthopedic service may also ease the cost and inconvenience of an emergency department trip for some families in a county where the Census Bureau estimates 8.2% of residents under 65 were uninsured in 2020-2024. For a sore knee, a swollen ankle or a minor fracture, the practical difference is simple: care is now available in Prattville after hours, without an appointment and without waiting until the next business day.