Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
SCOTTSBLUFF – Regional West Physicians Clinic-Orthopaedics’ new surgeon, Eric Gardner, MD, may have a remedy for patients suffering from focal cartilage defects of the knee.
During fellowship training at Cincinnati Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center, Dr. Gardner learned to perform cartilage restoration from his mentor, internationally-renowned knee surgeon and orthopaedic sports medicine specialist, Frank Noyes, MD.
Dr. Gardner is now performing the procedure on select patients who have non-arthritic cartilage injuries in the knee. The treatment is best suited to patients from early teens to 40 years of age who have not responded to prior arthroscopic or other surgical repair procedure.
The cartilage restoration procedure involves cleaning out damaged knee cartilage, attaching a protective patch to the site, and then injecting the site with the patient’s own cartilage cells, which have been cultured in a laboratory. Rehabilitation generally lasts nine to 18 months.
Dr. Gardner is the only orthopaedic surgeon in the region who performs the Carticel procedure. Carticel is an FDA-approved treatment that uses a patient’s own cells to repair cartilage injuries in the knee.
Dr. Gardner was raised in Denver and attended Brigham Young University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. He earned his medical degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.
Having majored in microbiology in college, he said he always wanted to pursue a career in internal medicine and infectious disease.
“I was fascinated by how diseases make the body go haywire and how the body fights them off,” said Dr. Gardner. He was scheduled to do an internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but after completing a rotation in orthopaedics, he changed his career path.
“I enjoy my ability to physically improve the lives of my patients whether with conservative or surgical means,” he said “Helping change one’s quality of life is big time job satisfaction.”
While Dr. Gardener specializes in arthroscopy and sports medicine, he said he also enjoys treating patients with everything from broken bones, to arthritic joints, and especially enjoys interaction with patients in the clinic.
Dr. Gardner and his wife, Natalie, who is a licensed esthetician, have four children – Avery, age 7; Thomas, 6; Brynnley, 3; and Matthew, 4 months.
Reader Comments(0)