Hughston Clinic Ribbon Cutting

The Thomaston-Upson County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting at the newly opened Hughston Clinic today.

Doctor Norman L. Donati, Jr. and Doctor Douglas Pahl have moved into their new office location at 522 North Center Street and are the newest facility of the renowned Hughston Clinic based in Columbus, Georgia.

Founded in 1949 by the late orthopedic surgeon Jack C. Hughston, the clinic gained worldwide respect pioneering orthopedic techniques and care, Hughston almost single-handedly elevated sports medicine to a level enjoyed by only a handful of orthopedic surgeons.

Hughston Clinic President John I. Waldrop, MD, quoted in Orthopedics Today said that “Jack C. Hughston was really one of the founders and fathers of sports medicine.”

Doctor Norman L. Donati Jr., is a native of Memphis, Tennessee, and graduated with honors from Memphis State University. He received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in 1981. His orthopaedic surgery training and specialty fellowship in foot and ankle were both completed at the Campbell Orthopedic Clinic in Memphis.

Dr. Donati, pictured here (on the left) with Fun 101 Director of Sales, Carl Pruett, has been the team physician for the Upson Lee High School athletic teams, and has been involved with high school and middle school athletes in the surrounding counties of Pike, Lamar, Taylor, and Meriwether. He also serves as orthopaedic consultant on the sports medicine advisory committee of the Georgia High School Association.

Dr. Douglas W. Pahl, graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas then earned his medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He completed his internship and orthopaedic surgery residency at Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon, Georgia. After completion of his distinguished army career, Dr. Pahl elected to complete a fellowship in orthopaedic spine surgery at the prestigious Twin Cities Spine Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Dr. Pahl specializes in orthopaedic spinal surgery with an emphasis on minimally invasive techniques. He has recently developed new spine surgery instruments to improve minimally invasive techniques. Additionally, he specializes in adult and pediatric spinal deformity, and cervical and lumbar degenerative disorders.

The Hughston Clinic is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.