Moving to Wooster was a homecoming of sorts for Wooster Community Hospital's newest orthopaedic surgeon. Dr. Michael Todd grew up in nearby Canton, Ohio, and family factored heavily into his move back to this area. I wanted my parents to see my kids grow up, said Todd, who has two young children. He is also looking forward to living in a smaller, more family-friendly town.
Before moving to Ohio, Dr. Todd served as an orthopaedic surgeon at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas for twelve years. He also did a fellowship in shoulder, hip and knee arthroscopy at West Point. Todd deployed twice during his military serviceto Iraq in 2009 and to Afghanistan in 2012.
Dr. Todd will be working alongside Dr. Anne Marie Chicorelli at the OSU Medical Center Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics Practice at HealthPoint. He specializes in sports medicine procedures such as ACL reconstruction, total knee arthroplasty, hip preservation, meniscal transplants, shoulder repairs, and general orthopaedic care.
As a sports medicine specialist, my range is broader than that of many generalists, said Todd. Since both he and Chicorelli are sports medicine fellows, they are able to offer a wide range of procedures at Wooster Community Hospital. We can probably do 99% of the operations that OSU does right here in Wooster, said Todd. Their affiliation with OSU means that the few cases that too complex to be handled locally can be easily transferred to the OSU hospital.
Dr. Todd said his military training taught him to take a conservative approach to surgery. I think the military gave me the opportunity to not pull the trigger as quickly in terms of surgery, but to try physical therapy and other options longer before taking it to the operating room; to step back and let the body heal itself, he said. Most things have a good chance of doing well with this approach.
In the case of knee injuries, Dr. Todd said, We try to keep what we have. If there is too much injury or arthritis, a total knee replacement may eventually be called for, but we try to slow that down, and give the patient a more productive knee for as long as possible.
We try to take the full gestalt of the patient into consideration, Todd continued. For example, limb alignments can help prevent further injury for people who are bowlegged or knock-kneed by making weight-bearing more equal.
Hip injuries are another area where Dr. Todd often recommends nonsurgical treatments. Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI) is a condition that often leads to serious hip problems. We dont know why people get it, but those who do typically go on to need total hip replacement, he said. However, FAI can be treated, and doctors can even recontour the femoral neck and pelvis to prevent or reduce the probability of needing hip replacement surgery down the road. This area of medicine is relatively new, said Todd.
Hospital CEO Bill Sheron is excited about what Todd brings to the hospital and community. Dr. Todd is another fellowship-trained sports medicine physician, the second in Wooster, he said. That means he has an extra year of training and truly is an expert in sports medicine. Because he has an appointment at OSU, he brings to Wayne County access to the latest research. Also, having been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has tremendous experience in what must have been very difficult conditions. We are very pleased hes here!
Dr. Michael Todds practice is located in the HealthPoint facility at 3727 Friendsville Rd., Suite 5. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 330-202-3420.
