Clinic offers fellowship in shoulder surgery
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| Dr. Todd Gothef, above right, watched Dr. Keith Nord, far left, examine Romie Gray. |
Dr. Gothelf was the first physician in a new fellowship program designed by Dr. Keith Nord, the founding physician of the clinic.
“It’s the only fellowship of any kind in Jackson,” says Dr. Nord. “It’s rare to have a fellowship program of this caliber in a smaller town.”
Sports Orthopedics and Spine specializes in sports medicine and all aspects of orthopedic surgery. Dr. Nord has become known for his work in arthroscopic shoulder surgery and the special surgical equipment he has designed for his new procedures.
Dr. Nord, who has been teaching the arthroscopic shoulder procedures at weekend workshops in Chicago and throughout the United States for about five years, was asked by the president of the Arthroscopic Association of North America to develop a curriculum for a fellowship.
He started doing arthroscopic shoulder surgery about 15 years ago when the surgery was in its infancy, and he has been sharing his expertise with other physicians ever since. He and other physicians at the clinic also publish articles in medical journals and produce videos about new surgical techniques.
Arthroscopic shoulder surgery is a less invasive surgery used to treat several problems in the shoulder, including rotator cuff, labral and biceps tears. Dr. Nord uses small incisions and special instruments to do the surgery rather than the traditional surgery that typically means making a large incision in front of the shoulder.
The result is that patients have faster recoveries and fewer complications after the surgery.
“It’s a constantly evolving area,” Dr. Nord says. “We are doing more through the scope than ever imagined. We are fixing larger tears than done before and tears in older people. We are doing procedures that most standard surgeons don’t do and we have been well ahead of Memphis and other areas in adopting the procedures.”
As medical school residency programs and fellowships start training doctors in the new procedures, some doctors, like Dr. Gothelf are choosing special fellowships like the one in Jackson. Dr. Gothelf already is a board certified orthopedic surgeon with several years of practicing medicine under his belt. He plans to take his new knowledge to Australia where he will move next year after his fellowship in Jackson is over.
“It’s the knowledge multiplier effect,” Dr. Nord says. “Dr. Gothelf will be able to show the new surgery to other doctors.”
Besides working closely with Dr. Nord learning arthroscopic shoulder surgery, Dr. Gothelf also worked with the other physicians at the clinic to learn more about sports medicine.
Says Dr. Nord, “sports medicine is the fastest growing field in orthopedic surgery.” Doctors enjoy the practice, he says, because they get to treat young healthy people who want to get better and back to their sport and because many enjoyed playing sports themselves.
Dr. Gothelf, who started October 1, 2004, and moved to Jackson with his family, will stay one year in the fellowship. As word of the fellowship spreads, Dr. Nord is getting applications from physicians all over the United States, and from countries like Egypt, India, and Turkey. The fellowship is part of a nonprofit foundation formed to foster education.
The clinic plans to accept one doctor a year to its fellowship program, Dr. Nord says. “It is working out very well. Dr. Gothelf already is an excellent orthopedic surgeon. He’s also going to be an excellent shoulder surgeon and sports medicine physician.”