What do you do at your practice?

My practice is quite varied. I see patients for hand and upper extremity disorders that do not require surgery. Many hand conditions can be treated non surgically. I also see patients for Insurance exams, independent evaluations, and second opinions. I also serve as an expert witness in personal injury, workers compensation and malpractice cases.

What other experience do you have?

President, American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand, AFSH; Volunteer African Bush clinics; President, Valley Independent Physicians; Managing Partner, Hand and Upper Extremity Center; President, County Medical Society.

What kinds of cases do you see?

Anything that involves the hand and arm, from birth to elderly.

What special training have you had?

I completed three Fellowships in Hand Surgery after my five year Orthopaedic Surgery Residency; Johns Hopkins and National Hand Center, concentrating on trauma and replantation surgery of amputated parts; Tucson, Arizona, concentrating on elective and reconstructive hand surgery; and Melbourne, Australia, concentrating on elective microvascular surgery.

What certifications do you have?

I have current certificates in the following boards: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, ABOS; Certificate of Added Qualification, CAQ, in Hand Surgery by the ABOS; and Certificate in Evaluation of Disability and Imparement Rating, CEDIR.

Why is your practice currently non-surgical?

After a spinal cord injury in my neck left me with numbness in some of my fingers, I have continued to utilize my 27 years of clinical Hand Surgery practice to treat non-operative hand and upper extremity disorders. I also teach Orthopaedic Surgery residents and medical students about Hand Surgery at Loyola University and Hines VA Medical Center in Chicago. This enables me to remain current in the field of Hand Surgery and share my knowledge with others.

What is microvascular surgery?

Microvascular surgery can be broken into two parts. First is acute and traumatic microvascular surgery which is the re-establishment of circulation when blood vessels are injured or the replantation of amputated parts. The second is elective microvascular surgery. Moving one part of the body to another and reconnecting the blood supply and nerve supply, such as transferring the great toe to the hand to substitue for a missing thumb.