The Tift Regional Joint Replacement and Spine Care Center held a one mile walk on Nov. 17 for patients who have recently undergone joint replacement or spine surgery.
 
This event was the inaugural one mile walk which will occur bi-annually to celebrate patients in their road to recovery from surgery.
 
“We understand that the road to recovery from joint replacement or spine surgery is rewarding but long. We wanted an opportunity to celebrate our patient’s journeys with this walk to showcase their improvement,” says Debbie Harvey, RN, Orthopedic Care Coordinator. “Our first walk allowed us to celebrate patients like Mr. Rockwell, who recently had a right total hip replacement.”
 
Before his surgery, Reginald Rockwell said he had a low quality of life and a difficult time moving around due to his hip pain. “Anything that required walking, short or long distances, caused me pain. I could not even bend over and pick things up off of the ground. I enjoy fishing and became unable to move myself from my truck to the pond,” Rockwell stated.
 
Rockwell decided it was time for a change after a camping trip with his wife in March of this year. “I had a very hard time getting around during our trip and my wife encouraged me to go to a doctor to look into why I was experiencing so much pain.” He then met with Dr. David Banks at Georgia Sports Medicine who suggested Mr. Rockwell receive a right total hip replacement. His surgery occurred on August 8 of this year.
 
In just a few short months, Rockwell is now able to comfortably exercise on the treadmill and celebrated his success by participating with the Joint Replacement and Spine Care Center on Saturday. “I thoroughly enjoyed getting out and walking a mile with the staff. I feel like a totally new man and can’t wait for my upcoming surgery to get my other hip replaced in early December. I also look forward to participating in the next walk in May and encourage anyone who has received joint or spine surgery to join in the fun.”