A new multidisciplinary center has opened in South Africa, combining orthopedic surgery, interventional radiology, and physiotherapy. The goal of this center is to expand treatment options for people suffering from chronic joint and musculoskeletal pain.
The Joint Centre SA focuses on joint preservation and the application of minimally invasive techniques. It provides patients with the opportunity to consult specialists who can assess the condition and determine the most suitable treatment plan.
This center brings together interventional radiologists from Cape Town Interventional Radiology, as well as orthopedic surgeons and physiotherapists working in various hospitals. This allows patients to receive treatment in different institutions depending on their needs, with Mediclinic Constantiaberg serving as the main hospital for the center.
Instead of viewing the patient through the lens of a single specialization, the center assesses the cause and severity of the pain, mobility level, lifestyle, and individual treatment goals. Possible treatment methods include physiotherapy, conservative management, image-guided minimally invasive procedures, or surgical intervention.
One of the proposed options is musculoskeletal embolization—a developing area of interventional radiology where abnormal blood vessels associated with chronic inflammation and pain are selectively targeted using image-guided methods. Procedures include embolization of the genicular artery for certain patients with knee osteoarthritis, as well as treatment for persistent plantar fasciitis, chronic shoulder problems, hip pain, and Achilles tendinopathy.
The center emphasized that embolization is not suitable for all patients and is not intended to replace surgery if surgery remains the best option.
Orthopedist Dr. Mark Nortje noted that this approach will give patients access to a wider range of treatment methods. He stated that it represents a new approach to joint care, integrating leading expertise to offer patients more treatment choices.
Interventional radiologist Dr. Dale Kramer commented that patients too often face a single path of treatment when several alternatives could be considered. Physiotherapist Mohammed Sondai reported that complex musculoskeletal conditions often require the involvement of multiple disciplines, but such collaborative care was not always easily accessible.
The ultimate goal of the center is to reduce pain, preserve mobility, and help patients receive the most appropriate treatment at the right stage of the disease.
