(Good Things Utah) – With the colder, winter weather approaching… it’s a great time to talk about weather changes and the spine. If you suffer from neck or back pain, it’s likely they know that colder temperatures can cause increased discomfort during this time of year because our muscles stiffen up.

The spine’s muscles may become tight and tense. If your pain is serious and has lasted 6+ weeks, it’s likely time to come in and see us at the Salt Lake Orthopaedic Clinic at St. Mark’s Hospital. And what better place/time to visit since they were just awarded the “2022 Spine Surgery Excellence Award!”

A lot of people seem to struggle with neck or back pain during the colder weather months. But, how do you know when it’s time to come in and see a specialist? What’s the difference between a real problem and just a seasonal discomfort issue?

The short answer? 6+ weeks… but ultimately, let’s start from scratch and figure it out. Thankfully, Salt Lake Orthopaedic Clinic at St. Mark’s Hospital sees patients – young and old – with varying degrees of pain and offers both surgical and non-surgical options to address those issues St. Mark’s Hospital is one of 100 recipients of the 2022 Spine Surgery Excellence Awards:

Here’s a link to read about the spine surgery center of excellence methodology.

Healthgrades has recognized 100 hospitals in its Spine Surgery Excellence Award for 2022, which honors facilities that provide superior patient outcomes in back and neck surgeries and spinal fusion.

The award analyzes hospital performance based on patient outcomes. Methodologies adjust for each patient’s risk factors, including age, gender, and medical condition. To measure performance, Healthgrades used Medicare inpatient data for years 2018 through 2020 from the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review file purchased from CMS. Read more on Healthgrades’ methodology here.

St. Mark’s Hospital really prides itself on the “comprehensive” approach to the spine. They offer a variety of services:

Sometimes you hear “spine” and it automatically sparks fear in us/our loved ones, especially when it comes to surgery. They offer so many options – A one-stop-shop, convenient approach.

St. Marks believes in empowering the patient, his or her needs/situation, and individualized care. The salt lake orthopedic clinic offers same-day consults with a joint specialist for all new injuries. St. Marks can see you today or the very next business day.

Think of them as they are your first stop for orthopedic injury advice, offering in-clinic x-ray and expert orthopedic physicians. As one of the area’s first orthopedic centers, the orthopedic surgeons offer many services for bone, joint, and muscle conditions, including arthritis, back pain, and whiplash. They also offer advanced treatments, such as knee and hip replacements and shoulder reconstruction.

The clinic is also expanding. That’s right! The Spine Center is having a clinic at the Taylorsville location once per week. The location is right across the street from the “St. Mark’s Hospital Taylorsville Emergency Center (FSER)” – the freestanding ER.

Visit SaltLakeOrthopedics.com or call (801)261-7479 today!

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