If you have an injury, get on the fast track to recovery at the Emergency Center in West Palm Beach, our freestanding emergency center. Advantages include:
- Minimal waiting
- No appointment required
- A board-certified ER Physician
- A follow-up appointment with an orthopedic surgeon within 48 hours of the visit
The Emergency Center in West Palm Beach is dedicated exclusively to 24-hour emergency care. It offers the same high-quality treatment and diagnostic services as Good Samaritan Medical Center's emergency department.
Call 561-578-6700 for an appointment. You can also visit GoodSamaritanMC.com/OCED. The center is located at 5028 Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach. Find the center near the intersection of Haverhill Road and Okeechobee Boulevard.
What is Orthopedics?
Orthopedics is a medical specialty that focuses on diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal disorders. The following are some musculoskeletal conditions that may hurt a person’s bones, tendons, joints, muscles and ligaments:
- Bone or joint infection
- Bursitis
- Cancer
- Fibromyalgia
- Gout
- Infectious diseases, mumps, hepatitis and influenza
- Injury
- Joint overuse
- Kneecap cartilage breakdown
- Lupus
- Osteoporosis
- Rickets
- Sarcoidosis
- Tendonitis
What Is Arthritis?
As you get older, you may have every intention to stay mobile and independent without any physical limitations. However, you may develop arthritis that causes you to miss out on some of your favorite activities. Arthritis means joint inflammation and
refers to any condition that affects the joints. It is a leading cause of work disability in the United States.
Over 100 arthritis types and related conditions can affect people of all ages, sexes and races. Here are some of them:
- Ankylosing spondylitis affects the spine. It often involves heat, redness, pain and swelling in the spine or sacroiliac joint that connects the lower spine to the pelvic bone.
- Gout usually affects a person’s big toe but may also affect other joints. It is caused by crystal buildup in the joints.
- Juvenile arthritis refers to arthritis affecting children.
- Lupus is an autoimmune disease wherein a person’s immune system attacks their organs and tissues, affecting the joints, blood cells, heart and more.
- Osteoarthritis usually occurs as people get older and most often affects the knees, fingers and hips. A joint injury may also result in osteoarthritis. For example, a badly injured knee may develop osteoarthritis years later.
- Psoriatic arthritis may happen to people with psoriasis.
- Reactive arthritis is caused by an infection in a person’s body, such as food poisoning and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). People born with the HLA-B27 gene are more likely to get reactive arthritis.
- Rheumatoid arthritis happens when a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells in their body. It results in inflammation in the affected body parts.
What Is an Orthopedic Surgeon?
An orthopedist is someone who specializes in orthopedics. An orthopedic surgeon explores nonsurgical options in treating joint disorders, such as rehabilitation or medication. They can also perform surgery to correct or repair an injury if necessary.
Orthopedic doctors in West Palm Beach can also treat the following conditions:
- Achilles tendon injuries
- Arthritis
- Back pain
- Bone tumors
- Bow legs
- Bunions
- Carpal tunnel
- Club foot
- Foot and ankle injuries
- Hand arthritis
- Hand injuries
- Hip dysplasia
- Limb lengthening
- Osteoporosis
- Ruptured spinal discs
- Spinal stenosis
- Sports injuries
When Should I See an Orthopedic Doctor?
Mild or infrequent joint pain may not require a visit to an orthopedic doctor. But if you have an arthritis type that can result in permanent joint damage, get treated quickly to prevent other serious problems and preserve your joint's function. Watch
for these symptoms and signs of arthritis:
- Difficulty moving a joint
- Joint stiffness or tenderness
- Pain, stiffness or swelling in one or more joints
- Joints that are warm to the touch
Make an appointment with an orthopedic doctor in West Palm Beach if your joint symptoms last more than three days and you experience them several times within a month.
What Can Cause Pain in Multiple Joints?
Polyarthritis is a joint disease that involves at least five joints. Acute polyarthritis occurs in less than six weeks. If it is more than this timeframe, it becomes chronic polyarthritis. Polyarthritis can be classified depending on the following major
patterns of joint involvement:
- Migratory: Arthritis only affects one or more joints at the beginning. It may fully improve after several days. Later, another joint region becomes affected, where polyarthritis will occur gradually.
- Additive: Joints become affected within a few days or weeks.
- Intermittent: Polyarthritis attacks for a while, completely improves, then recurs.
Here are common polyarthritis-causing rheumatic diseases and their classifications:
| Disease | Joints Affected | Joint Involvement |
|---|
| Ankylosing spondylitis | Mainly large joints | Additive |
| Crystal arthropathy | Mainly small joints | Intermittent |
| Psoriatic arthritis | Large, small, axial joints | Additive |
| Reactive arthritis | Mainly large joints | Migratory |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | Mainly small joints | Additive |
| Systemic lupus erythematosus | Mainly small joints | Additive |
| Systemic vasculitis | Mainly small joints | Additive |
Here are other inflammatory and non-inflammatory pain conditions that share some similarities with arthritis:
- Arthralgia is a non-inflammatory pain in a single joint.
- Polyarthralgia refers to pain in multiple joints that does include inflammation, a characteristic of arthritis.
- Oligoarticular disease or oligoarthritis affects two to four joints.
- Osteoarthritis causes pain in the hip, hand and knee joints.
- Myalgia is non-inflammatory muscle pain.
- Polymyalgia affects several muscles.
The Newbern Suites
To promote your recovery, our Newbern Suites offers the concierge services of a luxury hotel. The private rooms provide a high level of comfort and quality healthcare in a stress-free environment.
The Suites is an
atmosphere of quiet relaxation with elegantly decorated and furnished rooms. Our highly trained chefs prepare your meals according to your needs and preferences. We also have excellent amenities and personalized care at your disposal.
