Radiculopathy near Wasilla, AK

Biography: Dr. Christian McCartney is a fellowship-trained spine surgeon, a board-eligible orthopedic surgeon, and a native of Texas. His specific interests include minimally invasive spine surgery, robotic spine surgery and motion-preserving spine surgery. Dr. McCartney felt called to become a physician from a young age. His youngest brother, Matthew, was born prematurely with cerebral palsy. Dr. McCartney went to many of his brother's medical appointments over the years and gained a valuable perspective as a family member of a complex patient. Dr. McCartney then had the opportunity to shadow an orthopedic surgeon in high school, and he never looked back. Dr. McCartney graduated from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He then completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. He later completed a spine surgery fellowship at Spine Institute of Arizona in Scottsdale. Dr. McCartney is a proud member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the North American Spine Society, the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. As a spine surgeon, Dr. McCartney believes his job is not only to diagnose and treat disorders of the spine but also to educate patients on the nature of their condition and all their treatment options. He hopes to establish a relationship with each of his patients, learn about all of their symptoms, understand their goals, and provide individualized treatment plans. Whether the best treatment is operative or non-operative, Dr. McCartney works tirelessly to get his patients back to doing the things they love. When he's not helping patients, Dr. McCartney loves to be outside, especially with his wife and son. They enjoy hiking, skiing, hunting and fishing as a family. Dr. McCartney and his family are excited to live in Alaska, where these activities are right outside the front door.

Biography: Dr. Tyler Smith is a Board Certified Orthopedic Trauma surgeon who completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri. He graduated from University of Missouri-Kansas City medical school in 2014 and completed his Orthopedic Surgery residency at Indiana University in 2019. Dr. Smith went on to complete an Orthopedic Trauma fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis in 2020 and was awarded Orthopedic Fellow of the Year by the Washington University Dept of Orthopedic Surgery. Dr. Smith's training and experience is in orthopedic trauma surgery; and he is currently accepting new patient appointments. An orthopedic trauma surgeon specializes in the treatment of complex fractures, broken bones, and other injuries sustained through traumatic events. These events, such as falls, car/motorcycle/atv/snowmachine crashes, or even rough sports injuries, result in injuries that can include significant problems with the bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Dr. Smith specializes in treating fractures of the pelvis, upper extremity, and lower extremity. His clinical practice also includes caring for fractures in the multiply injured patient and management of post-traumatic problems including nonunions, malunions, and osteomyelitis (infections). He also practices general orthopedics.

Biography: As a born-and-raised Alaskan, Dr. Lars Matkin is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in general orthopedics, as well as upper and lower extremity surgery. His specific interests include hip, knee and shoulder replacement surgery; arthritis; sports-related injuries; and musculoskeletal trauma. Dr. Matkin received a Master's of Business Administration at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He then went on to graduate from medical school at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. He completed his residency at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. Dr. Matkin was born in Homer, Alaska, and was motivated to return to his home state to practice medicine. Having worked at one time as a commercial fisherman, he understands how important physical health is toward maintaining independence in Alaska. Dr. Matkin adopts a patient-centered approach toward treating musculoskeletal complaints and firmly believes that the best treatment is the one that works. He enjoys developing individual treatment plans for his patients' successful recovery. Dr. Matkin has always loved the outdoors and wants to keep the people of Alaska healthy, active and strong. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, mountaineering, hunting and fishing.