Martha Bassett

Happy New Year, friends! It’s that time of year when we collect ourselves after the hurried pace of the holidays and look forward with hopes of good living in the next circling of the sun. Most of us make and then break some promises to ourselves, and then we move on with what life brings us. In 2022, I had a big goal to double the number of live shows for the Martha Bassett Show at the Reeves Theater in Elkin, and we did it. We featured over 60 artists in Season 5. The crowds came back out after two years of pandemic precautions. It felt like a big family reunion! Now we begin Season 6 on February 2 with a

great show featuring Jess Klein and Charles Latham and the Borrowed Band.

For the new season, I’ve made some promises to myself. It’s time for our show to go from regional to national. In the past few months, we’ve added three new radio stations to our list of partnerships, giving us coverage in Tennessee, central and western North Carolina, southwest Virginia, and eastern Kentucky. It’s a very big goal to achieve national syndication. I don’t know exactly how we’re going to get there or how long it will take, but if not now, when?

I believe that North Carolina music has a special sound, and that the world needs to hear it. So I’m reaching out to radio stations all over the country to find new listeners for our good music. If you haven’t yet listened in, you can hear us Saturday nights at 7:00 p.m. on 88.5 WFDD. Or plan to be with us in person on first and third Thursdays in Elkin. Our roster for 2023 is packed with local talent that’ll make you proud and touring talent that’ll dazzle your ears. I hope you have some big goals for the year too. Whether you’re creating something new, expanding something you’ve already built, or simplifying your life, I wish for you great focus and strength in getting there!

Orthopaedics

a department of Northern Regional Hospital

Choose Well. Choose Northern.

Motion Is Life

By William E. Refvem, M.D.

The joints in our bodies are necessary for all tasks from walking to eating to writing. The muscles, bones and joints provide the power, stability and motion that enable everything we do, and any deficiency in any of these elements will interfere with the proper function of at least part of our bodies.

Since everything we do involves joints, it is a good idea to treat them with some care. There is no need to rush to the doctor for every little ache or pain, but as pain persists and interferes with the normal activities in life, then, It usually means it is time to make an appointment.

A joint is any contact between bones where motion can occur – there are joints in the head, the spine, upper and lower extremities (arms and legs). And where there is motion, there can be natural “wear and tear”, inflammation, or sometimes injury. Moving parts wear out, and in that way the body can be compared to a car engine with all of its moving parts. There are some aches and pains that come with age and are to be expected to some degree. However, it is wise to determine that there is nothing that can be done than finding out later that you could have been relieved of some pain with an easy treatment.

A thorough evaluation of a joint pain or injury involves three elements: history (or the story of how the problem began), examination, and X-rays (in most cases). Sometimes the diagnosis is crystal clear, and sometimes it is not clear at all. It may be necessary to order more testing to sort it all out. For example, the knee and shoulder are more complex joints than many others in the human body because they have complex cartilage elements that can be the trouble and may not show up on X-rays. If that is the case, an MRI may be indicated.

Once the diagnosis is made, treatment can be planned, anything from R.I.C.E. (Rest Ice Compression Elevation) to anti-inflammatory pills to steroid injection to physical therapy. Usually when surgery is considered, it is when non-surgical treatment has been unsuccessful at relieving the issue. There are times, especially with arthritis or rotator cuff tears, when the only thing that will relieve the pain is surgery. I am always cautious when it comes to suggesting surgery. Surgery isn’t the answer to every problem, but it is the cure for many things.

We need our joints to keep us doing life, so keep moving, even if it takes a little medical help to do it.

About the Author: William E. Refvem, MD is an orthopaedic surgeon at Northern Orthopaedics in Mount Airy. For more information about Northern Orthopaedics, call (336) 719-0011 or visit choosenorthern.org.