The Role of the Orthopaedic Surgeon

“After the dust settles and the ambulance sirens fade, the work for the trauma doctor begins.”
By Matthew Stiebel, MD, FRCSC –
The Role of the Orthopaedic SurgeonIn light of the recent events in Boston, this month’s article will follow a different vein– out of respect and empathy for the people of Beantown.
Many people come to visit their orthopaedic surgeon when they have pain in their knee, or shoulder or back. They see their doctor in a pleasant (and sometimes overcrowded) outpatient clinic, have some x-rays, a physical exam, and a chat with their treating physician. This is how daily medicine functions across most of North America. What most patients do not see, however, are the years of trauma training their surgeons went through prior to their visit. All orthopaedic surgeons—despite the fact that you may be visiting a hand specialist or a tumor specialist– all of them went through many years of training at major trauma institutions. When I tell people that we have done everything from taken bullets out of children or have cut off limbs after urban machete wars and have cracked chests after motor vehicle traumas they are either fascinated or horrified. (Which is why I almost never discuss it.) Either way, they look at me, and my office in a new light.
Some of my training took place in Boston, and many of my colleagues are still working in the trauma centers of that great Northeastern city. Last week I spoke to a few of them in the wee hours of the morning, and discussed the events of the bombing. Two of my close friends had spent the night working in the operating rooms. One had removed large quantities of shrapnel from a patient’s spine, and the other had had to amputate a few limbs. Both had performed their roles at the highest capacity, and both were obviously shaken.
Trauma affects everyone, from the victims, to their families, to the people watching on television. While the treating physician may have to distance themselves from emotion at the time of care, I would like the reader to understand that physicians are not immune to trauma either. We do not forget the screams or the fear. We do not forget the faces of the patients we strive to assist. We do, however, like to think of ourselves as men and women of science. We wear our white coats and our green scrubs as uniforms that separate and distance us from the victims that roll into our emergency rooms. We like to think that we are different and devoid of emotion, but that is simply not the case. Like firefighters, police officers or soldiers, we tend to hold our problems away from the light of day—believing that displayed emotion is a sign of weakness. We do this because we believe that if emotion makes us slip, or decreases our job performance in any way, then we will really have demons to confront when guilt makes us re-evaluate our competency.
Following this nightmare, everyone in Boston will need time to heal. It is my hope that when you think about all of the people in Boston who were heroes in the time of crisis- I want you to think about not only the first responders to the victims, but also to appreciate the work of the trauma surgeons. There are scores of orthopaedic, neuro and general surgeons in that city “on call” to deal with not just these unusual huge devastating events, but also the daily accidents and injuries. These are the people who go unseen, they are there for us in times of health crisis, they make up some of the best fabric of our society. In a world where we give so much merit to the entertainers and to the athletes, it is worth reflecting on those that are ready to help us  —and to be proud of them. I know I am.
Matthew Stiebel, MD FRCSC, is the newest partner at Palm Beach Sportsmedicine. After undergraduate and medical school degrees at Yale University, he completed an orthopaedic surgery residency at McGill UniMatthew Stiebel, M.D. FRCSC
Board Certified, Fellowship Trained Orthopaedic Surgeon
versity and a subspecialty fellowship in sports medicine at Boston University. His specialties include complex shoulder and knee injuries. Dr Stiebel has published papers and book chapters on specialty surgeries of the knee and shoulder. He is an associate master instructor for the Arthroscopy Asscociation of North America, where he instructs both arthrocopic shoulder and patellofemoral knee courses for surgeons in the US and internationally. He has lectured to the International Patellofemoral Reseach Group in London and New York City, and has worked with patellofemoral implant design companies. His other current interest involves the repair of pectoralis major muscle tears and their subsequent outcomes. While in Montreal, Dr Stiebel worked with the Montreal Canadians Hockey team and Expos Baseball team. During his fellowship time in Boston he was able to serve as team physician for the NCAA championship BU men’s hockey team, UMASS Boston Hockey, as well as work with the World Wrestling Entertainment Summer Slam Series. Locally, Dr Stiebel stays active in the community by currently serving as team physician for some of the local high school football and gymnastics programs.
Certificates/Memberships:
– Board Certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, July 2012
– American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
– Fellow, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada American Arthroscopy Association of North America
– International Society of Arthrosocopy, Knee Surgery & Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
– International Patellofemoral Reseach Group

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