December 2022 - St. Cloud Surgical Center

GOODBYE, 2022 – ST. CLOUD SURGICAL CENTER YEAR IN REVIEW

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

-Abraham Lincoln

Another year has come and gone at the St. Cloud Surgical Center. As we welcome the New Year in a few short weeks, we want to take a moment to reflect on the momentous things that happened in and around our facility this year. We have a lot to celebrate in 2022, and we feel those memories deserve a permanent spot on our blog. Take a trip down memory lane with us!

WINTER

After over a year of ongoing construction, we finally wrapped up the expansion and remodeling at St. Cloud Surgical Center. We talked about the process, upgrades, and vision for the future here.

Team members honored the work of MLK by donating their team and talents, as well as donations, to local homeless shelters.

SPRING

In March, we celebrated our 2022 Values Hero, Amy Brinkman! The St. Cloud Surgical Center’s Values Hero Program recognizes teammates who demonstrate a special commitment to our values of Clinical Quality, Integrity, Service Excellence, Teamwork, Accountability, Continuous Improvement & Inclusion. Amy does all that and more, a well-deserved Values Hero, no doubt!

We love to celebrate our team and never miss a national day, especially when it’s for our team of incredible doctors! As a bonus, we were able to give back to the community by purchasing lunch for our staff from Jersey Mike’s during their campaign for Special Olympics. 100% of the proceeds were donated to the cause, and we were thrilled to be a part of it!

Every year our patients participate in a Physician Satisfaction Survey, and we were thrilled to receive a 93% satisfaction rating. Some of the things patients said were:

“Best Same Day Surgery Center I have ever worked at. Very efficient. Very user-friendly. Excellent and nice nurses, anesthesia personnel, and administrative staff.”

“I have been utilizing the facility for the last 23 years, and have not met any other team more efficiently than the one at the SCSC.”

“I have seen changes at the Center, and they always point in the right direction. A true privilege to be part of the SCSC family!”

SUMMER

In June, we started on our remodel in PACU – Admit area. The remodel would allow for larger door openings, new recliner chairs, and updated ceilings, lights, floors, and walls. The goal was to create a better patient experience and working environment in this area!

We spent most of the early summer months planning our 50th Anniversary party! From advertising, creating invites, and working with vendors, it was a crazy time of year for the St. Cloud Surgical Center Administrative Staff!

On August 10th, we celebrated St. Cloud Surgical Center’s 50th Anniversary with staff, family, friends, and the entire Central Minnesota community. To make the night even better, our founder, Dr. Joseph Belshe, 101 years old, traveled from Florida to attend. Read more about our party here.

FALL

Clap your hands. St. Cloud Surgical Center was named #1 in Minnesota and #24 in the country by Newsweek® in their 2023 America’s Best ASCs list! We are beyond proud of this accomplishment.

In November, our team put together a fantastic fundraiser, “Harvest to Holiday Adoptive Family Program.” With teamwork, each department joined forces and gift baskets were created and put on display. Teammates nominated families that needed a hand up, and we were able to support 12 families this year!

2022 was an incredible year at the Center, and we are excited to see what the future holds! 2023 is going to be another one for the books. See you in the New Year!

The Intricacies off Carpal Tunnel with Dr. Andrew Staiger

The human hand is incredibly complex. For Dr. Andrew Staiger, that complexity is what attracted him, as an orthopedic surgeon, to specialize in matters of the hand.

With 29 major joints, 123 ligaments, 24 muscles, 48 nerves, and 30 arteries, operating on the hand is no small feat. Every case brings a new challenge as you navigate through the intricacies of the human hand’s anatomy. These challenges are ones Dr. Staiger faces head-on. He knows how important it is to have proper function in your hand and no pain because for most of us, it’s how we communicate, touch, work, and so much more. Whether you are experiencing pain from arthritis, carpal tunnel, trigger finger, or another hand issue, Dr. Staiger and the team of Orthopedic Hand Surgeons at St. Cloud Surgical Center are here to help you get back to living your life without pain.

While there are many common issues of the hand, today we’re going to discuss Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, a condition that affects 3 to 6% of the adult population. For many years, we believed the cause of carpal tunnel was an overuse of keyboards, pianos, etc. but in recent years, studies have shown there is no known cause for carpal tunnel. It is an idiopathic condition, meaning “of itself”, there is no certain origin, and it arises spontaneously in the general population.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs on its own when a thickening along the tendons occurs. The carpal tunnel is a very finite space, and when this thickening takes place, the nerve is trapped or pinched and starts causing symptoms of numbness, tingling, weakness, or pain. For some patients, it can be managed without surgery by doing the following:

Frequent breaks to rest hands
Avoiding Activities that make symptoms worse
Nerve gliding techniques and hand/wrist stretches which can be taught by a hand therapist
Wrist splinting during aggravating activities and while sleeping to relieve nighttime symptoms of tingling and numbness
Intermittent use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, etc.) and/or acetaminophen (Tylenol) may relieve pain in the short term
Use of corticosteroids injected by a physician into the carpal tunnel to relieve pain may provide short-term benefits as well

After trying a combination of these non-surgical methods and seeing little relief, it may be time to consider surgery with a physician like Dr. Staiger at St. Cloud Surgical Center. The Carpal Tunnel Release procedure is the most common among hand surgeons, and with a success rate of 98%, it is also the most successful. The outcomes of this procedure are very good, and the chance of recurrence is around 5%. If recurrence does emerge, it would typically be 10 to 15 years down the road. Carpal Tunnel Release surgery has been shown to be a very safe and effective option to relieve the pain you are experiencing with very low risks.

There is a short amount of rehab and recovery that will take place after your surgery. Dr. Staiger recommends gripping and lifting no more than 5 lbs during the first 6 weeks of healing. The symptoms patients experience before surgery typically resolve very quickly after surgery making this one of the best life-altering procedures available. If you are experiencing these symptoms, we can help!

For more information or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Andrew Staiger to talk about your symptoms, click here.