The 5 Dos and Don’ts of Managing Joint Health

Wellstar Columbia County Medical Center is nearing completion and is scheduled to open Aug. 26. The six-story, 100-bed hospital is located at 5000 Gateway Blvd. in Grovetown.

“It’s phenomenal to get to this level of substantial completion with construction because it means we’re that much closer to increasing access to care across the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA),” said Ralph Turner, president of Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center.

The new medical center expands healthcare services already offered in Augusta for more rural counties like McDuffie and provides additional learning opportunities for students at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Students will train using the latest technologies in healthcare.

“This is 12 years of a dream that began with a commitment to better serve this community,” said Augusta University President Russell Keen. “What’s being built here is an investment in the CSRA as well as an important part of strengthening the healthcare workforce across Georgia through Wellstar MCG Health, Augusta University and the Medical College of Georgia.”

Wellstar Columbia County will feature new technologies that improve the way healthcare is delivered. While the hospital will have dedicated intensive care unit (ICU) rooms, every patient room is acuity adaptable and can function as an ICU room, with minimal investment, if the need arises.

Patient rooms will also include cameras, enabling patients to access telehealth visits with specialists or family members.

“That is the pivotal piece of the telehealth technology at a community hospital. We’ll be able to digitally connect specialty providers at Wellstar MCG Health in downtown Augusta with patients and their care team in Columbia County without having to be in the building,” said Tammy Moore, chief nursing officer of Wellstar Columbia County.

A digital whiteboard will display the patient’s name and medical history, allowing greater visibility between patients and their care teams. It will also help ensure care teams have the most up-to-date medical information when making diagnoses or medical decisions at the bedside.

In addition, the hospital was built with larger windows to incorporate more natural light, which has been proven to have a positive effect on patients’ overall well-being.

A 92,000-square-foot Medical Office Building—adjacent to the hospital and featuring 11 outpatient clinics—remains under construction and is scheduled to open later this fall.

A throbbing knee, a painful hand or an aching back are a few common musculoskeletal issues that make sufferers wonder: “Do I need surgery, physical therapy or a steroid shot?”

The answer isn’t always simple according to Dr. Joseph Burns, Wellstar chief musculoskeletal officer.

Many patients assume that the source of their pain is in the area where they feel it, and they may diagnose themselves or choose to “wait and see” what happens.

However, pain is a warning sign, not a GPS.

How do I know it’s time to see an orthopedist?

Your first stop for joint pain may be your primary care provider or an urgent care center. They may suggest rest, using ice or heat, or taking anti-inflammatory medications. They may also refer you to an orthopedic specialist.

It’s wise to see an orthopedic specialist when:

• Rest or initial treatment isn’t lessening the pain
• You feel numbness, tingling or weakness
• You’ve been injured at work, in an accident or while playing a sport
• Your ability to move is limited
• You had a previous injury in the affected area
• Pain has lasted more than a few weeks or is interfering with sleep

What to expect at an orthopedic exam

An orthopedic exam starts with a medical history, including medications, past surgeries and any health conditions. Your provider will then zero in on what’s causing your pain, asking questions such as:

• When did the pain start?
• Were you injured?
• What activities make the pain worse?
• What have you been doing to relieve the pain?

Next your provider will do a physical exam, checking for pain, tenderness, strength and range of motion, and may refer you for an imaging test, such as an X-ray or MRI. This helps determine whether the pain is from structural damage, such as a break or sprain, or from a condition like arthritis, bursitis or tendonitis.

With a diagnosis in hand, your provider will discuss a treatment plan with you. Sometimes patients assume a visit to an orthopedist will put them on the fast track to the operating room. Not so, said Dr. Burns.

Most orthopedic care starts with nonsurgical options, such as physical therapy, anti-inflammatory treatments and injections. Physical therapy can improve strength, flexibility and joint function, and in many cases, it can relieve pain without the need for surgical intervention. Surgery is a possible next step if those therapies fail or there is structural damage.

The risks of treating joint pain without an orthopedic evaluation

According to Dr. Burns it’s best not to put off getting an orthopedic evaluation and possibly second opinions. Misdiagnosis or starting the wrong treatment can delay healing and make underlying conditions worse.

Some patients who do their own research find a variety of options not supported by medical evidence. Those include cannabis-based (CBD) creams and stem cell treatments.

CBD can provide “a nice, moderate amount of relief,” said Dr. Burns. “Unfortunately, what we’ve seen is that those products help at first, but then less and less.”

Stem cells are in a class of biological treatments that are not FDA-approved for any orthopedic condition, such as arthritis or tendon injury. Treatments that are marketed as “stem cell therapy” typically use concentrated bone marrow aspirate, which contains very few true stem cells. Patients should ask their care team about stem cell therapies so that they can be properly educated and protect themselves before purchasing these expensive therapies.

Start with expert orthopedic care at Wellstar

Our orthopedic specialists deliver evidence-based care and personalized treatment plans. Wellstar patients have access to:

• Orthopedic specialists
• OrthoXpress for same-day urgent care
• Physical therapy
• State-of-the-art imaging
• Total joint care

To make an appointment, find a location near you.

Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center has earned three-star ratings—the highest ratings possible—in five cardiac surgery categories from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), placing it among a select group of programs nationwide achieving top-tier performance across a broad range of procedures and making it the only program in Georgia to achieve this distinction.

The STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD) star rating system is one of the most comprehensive and respected measures of quality in the industry, evaluating outcomes from hundreds of hospitals in North America and serving as a leading benchmark for clinical excellence. A three-star rating indicates performance that is significantly better than the national average in key measures such as survival, complication rates and adherence to evidence-based care.

“The STS three-star rating is the highest distinction a cardiac surgery program can earn, and even a single category is rare. Receiving it in five is extraordinary, and it’s a direct reflection of the trust patients place in Wellstar every day,” said Ketul J. Patel, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System. “Our physicians, clinicians and care teams are setting a national standard for quality and safety, making Wellstar a center of excellence for cardiovascular care. This is one of the many ways that Wellstar’s care teams are improving health outcomes in the Southeast.”

In the previous reporting cycle, the program achieved three-star ratings in four categories—an already rare and notable achievement for cardiac surgery programs nationwide. Building on that success, Wellstar Kennestone has now expanded to five three-star categories, underscoring sustained excellence and a continued commitment to advancing high-quality cardiac care.

Wellstar Kennestone received a three-star overall composite quality rating in five of six evaluated procedure categories:

• Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)
• Aortic valve replacement (AVR)
• Combined AVR and CABG procedures
• Mitral valve repair and replacement (MVRR)
• Multi-procedural cardiac surgery

The program also earned a two-star rating in the combined MVRR and CABG category.

“For patients, these ratings translate to better outcomes, fewer complications, improved survival and a smoother recovery after major heart surgery,” said Dr. Barry Mangel, chief of clinical service lines at Wellstar. “Achieving and sustaining this level of performance across multiple complex procedures is extraordinarily rare and reflects a deeply coordinated, team-based approach to care.”

Wellstar Kennestone’s cardiac surgery program brings together a highly integrated team of cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, intensivists, perfusionists, advanced practice providers, nurses, technologists and support team members. This collaborative approach enables the team to deliver consistently high-quality, coordinated care for patients with even the most complex heart conditions.

These results reflect a sustained commitment to clinical excellence, continuous improvement and delivering the highest standard of cardiovascular care to every person, every time.

For more information about heart care at Wellstar, visit wellstar.org/heartcare.