Southlake Orthopaedics Sports Medicine and Spine Center offers patients of all ages personalized, compassionate care using advanced technology. They diagnose your problem and help you achieve pain-free mobility, whether you’re suffering from a fracture, dislocation or sprain, osteoporosis, or a degenerative condition like arthritis.
Among the skilled physicians at Southlake Orthopaedics is Dr. Michael Smith, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in the hand and elbow.
Dr. Smith treats such ailments as arthritis of the hand and wrist, including the CMC (carpometacarpal) joint; trigger finger, where the fingers catch or lock up; and carpal tunnel syndrome, where people experience numbness or tingling in the hand. He also treats fractures, nerve injuries and tendon injuries.
“I love surgery, and orthopedic surgery offers me the opportunity to restore health and function in a meaningful way for all ages,” Dr. Smith says. “I’ve always enjoyed an active lifestyle, and I understand how important maintaining one’s activities can be.”
A Hoover native, Dr. Smith earned his B.S. at Auburn University and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He completed his internship and residency at Emory University and a fellowship at Harvard.
“I enjoy people, and I enjoy developing a relationship with my patients and working hard to help them achieve their goals,” he says. Among Dr. Smith’s most common surgical procedures are carpal tunnel releases, trigger finger releases and a surgery for CMC arthritis called the CMC arthroplasty.
“Something I love about hand surgery is that it’s the culmination of many surgical sub-specialties — injuries to the bones, the nerves, the blood vessels, the tendons and muscles in the hands — so we need to do a little bit of everything,” he said.
Despite his skills, Dr. Smith almost always tries non-surgical treatments first, including physical therapy. “I do surgery only when it’s absolutely necessary,” he says.
Dr. Smith is pleased to be a part of the talented Southlake Orthopaedics staff.
“There’s lots of great orthopedic options in Birmingham, but Southlake Orthopaedics sets itself apart,” Dr. Smith says. “We’re proud to remain a private, community-based orthopedic practice, and our doctors treat their patients the way we’d want our family members to be treated. We treat people with respect from the minute they come into the clinic.”
Dr. Smith and other Southlake Orthopaedics physicians who treat the upper extremities, including Dr. Ekkehard Bonatz and Dr. Jonathon Whitehead, provide patients with “full service from your shoulder all the way to your fingertips,” Dr. Smith says. “We have experts in shoulder surgery, elbow surgery and hand and wrist surgery with extensive training and experience.”
