Phone: 651-232-0228

The Orthopaedic Specialty Center at Woodwinds provides surgical services, inpatient care and rehabilitation all performed by our highly skilled team of orthopaedic specialists. We’ll guide you through recovery and provide you with care beyond compare.  Our comprehensive services include:         

• Sports medicine/ arthroscopy
• Trauma        
• Spine 
• Hand, foot & ankle
• Shoulder & elbow
• General Orthopaedics
• Limb reconstruction
• Pediatrics

Woodwinds partners with the best surgeons and physicians in the area to provide outstanding diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for patients experiencing a wide variety of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries.  We take advantage of leading edge technology to deliver the best patient care, and offer excellence in orthopaedic innovations and state-of-the-art surgery.

A comprehensive, coordinated approach
We know that patients who are well prepared for surgery have better outcomes after surgery, which is why our program begins with a thorough pre-operative information session that will take you step-by-step through the surgery and recovery process.  You will be invited to register for this class as soon as your surgery is scheduled.

After surgery we continue our focus on education and information with daily notes, tips and inspiration for your inpatient recovery that will be delivered to your room, along with a few treats and a gift from your surgeon.

The total joint replacement recovery program at Woodwinds is called Joint Camp.
Joint Camp provides a positive, encouraging environment for healing and return to wellness.  You’ll benefit from group therapy and the opportunity to involve a family member or friend as your coach. 

Free pain seminars 
To learn more about joint pain, its causes and your best treatment options call 651-326-2273 and attend one of our free pain seminars.  Reserve your spot today and get back to know your old self once again.

Webcast

Knee replacement surgery

Related links

HealthEast Spine Care

Medical Staff

The Orthopaedic Specialty Center's medical staff includes board-certified orthopaedic surgeons.

• Bartie, Bruce, DO
• Bert, Jack, MD
• Biebl, Jonathan, MD
• Breien, Kristoffer, MD
• Ciegler, Glenn, MD
• Comfort, Thomas, MD
• D'Amato, Michael, MD
• Dahl, Mark, MD
• Daly, Peter, MD
• Dowdle, John, MD
• Drogt, Jack, MD
• DuBois, Christian, MD
• Gannon, James, MD
• Hanson, Daniel, MD
• Hartleben, Paul, MD
• Hoeffel, Dan, MD
• Holm, Mark, MD
• Karlstad, Ryan, MD
• Kittleson, David, MD
• Knowlan, Robert, MD
• McDonald, Mike, MD
• Meisterling, Robert, MD
• Meyer, Nicholas, MD
• Moser, Charles, MD
• Palmer, David, MD
• Panek, Timothy, MD
• Park, William, MD
• Parten, Peter, MD
• Perra, Jerome, MD
• Russell, Bryan, DPM
• Saterbak, Andrea, MD
• Schneider, William, MD
• Stern, Larry, MD
• Twito, Randy, MD
• Vargas, Troy, DPM
• Weiss, Nicholas, MD
• Wicklund, Paul, MD
• Yellin, Paul, MD
• Young, James, MD

Joint Camp

Joint Camp is a special program offered to patients who undergo total joint replacement. Because we understand that many of our orthopaedic patients aren't sick, they just have a bad hip or knee, our exclusive Joint Camp program is designed to focus on wellness, group rehabilitation exercises and the involvement of family or friends. You'll even wear your own exercise clothes instead of a hospital gown. Its a care delivery philosophy with proven results and very high customer satisfaction.

We want to help you return to the active lifestyle you enjoy as soon as possible. We offer free pain seminars monthly at the hospital, where you can learn more about joint pain, its possible cause and latest treatment options. Please call 651-326-2273 to reserve a space.

If you're interested in making an appointment with an orthopedic specialist, let us know. As part of our Joint Camp program, we are able to offer priority appointment scheduling. For more information, contact Sandy Tessier at sktessier@healtheast.org.

Artificial Disc Surgery

If you're living with lower back pain, relief may be in sight.

The Charité is the first FDA-approved artificial spinal disc to treat patients with degenerative disc disease in the lower back. Age or injury can cause the discs in the back to thin, reducing the cushion in between the vertebrae of the spine. The result is degenerative disc disease and back pain that may require medical care.

When patients don’t respond to treatments such as physical therapy, medication and strengthening exercises, the standard treatment has been surgery, most often a spinal fusion. Spinal fusion joins vertebrae together using bone grafts, metal screws and other devices, so that motion no longer occurs between them. While most patients report relief from pain after spinal fusion surgery, the surgery often robs them of flexibility and range of motion. The goal of the artificial disc is to preserve motion. Instead of fusion, the damaged disc is removed and replaced with the new artificial disc.

Studies in the United States and other countries, where artificial discs have been used for many years, show that the discs can help:

• Decrease pain.
• Preserve flexibility and range of motion.
• Restore disc height to maintain the normal curve of the spine.
• Reduce complications associated withspinal fusion surgery.

In addition, the surgery and hospital stay are generally shorter. Often, fusion surgery requires a lengthy recovery period of six to nine months. In contrast, artificial disc patients are up and active on the day of surgery, and usually return to work and normal activities within four to six weeks.

Familiar technology, new application
The artificial disc is similar to artificial joints, like those used in the hip and knee. It has three components: two metal end plates that go into the spine, and the disc itself, which is a floating core made of polyethylene. Surgeons undergo special training to learn how to implant the artificial disc.

Woodwinds’  Orthopaedic Learning Center (OLC) is a state-of-the-art facility that enhances the skills and technical expertise of orthopaedic surgeons and staff, in addition to serving as an education resource for the community.

This premiere facility is a regional training center designed to improve patient outcomes, advance clinical knowledge and explore emerging technologies.

Patients benefit when doctors continue to learn, so we’re committed to providing physicians with easy access to education and current research.

Woodwinds is pleased to offer this state-of-the-art facility to all active orthopaedic MDs and PAs.  You may drop in at any time.
Benefits of the OLC include:

• Viewing, recording and archiving surgical procedures
• Live interaction from surgical suites to skills lab or conference center
• Sophisticated setting for small meetings or consultations
• Sawbones work table for clinical demonstrations
• Computer workstations for research, access to clinical applications, patient documentation or office contact
• Wireless environment

General Guidelines

Use of the OLC
The OLC is designed to accommodate physician and staff use on a daily drop-in basis. For meetings or special events, the room should be scheduled in advance, please contact the OLC Coordinator, Lisa Somerville at 651-232-0907 to reserve the room.

Accessing the OLC
All active orthopaedic MDs and their PAs have access to the OLC with a Woodwinds or HealthEast ID badge. Simply insert ID into the bottom of the black scan box located just outside and to the left of the door. Door will unlock automatically. If you have trouble, please contact Security.

All outside vendors and groups must check in at the Woodwinds Security Desk located at the ER entrance. Upon signing in, you will receive an OLC visitor badge allowing access to the room. The badge must be turned in before leaving for the day.

Request to videotape a surgical procedure
Take full advantage of the OLC’s educational component by videotaping cases of interest for further study. Upon scheduling a surgical case at Woodwinds Health Campus, request that the procedure be videotaped. That request will prompt two options to consider:

1. Record/archive only, no projection
2. Record/archive with projection into the skills lab and/or conference center
   

Two weeks' notice is recommended for all videotaping requests.