Craig Phillips, MD

My philosophy centers around my ability to treat each patient as an individual. Through extensive training in disorders specific to the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand (upper-extremity), each patient will receive adequate time in the office where all needs are met. My ability to effectively treat disorders of the upper-extremity focuses on all aspects of care; including pharmacological modalities, hand or physical therapy, and, when necessary, surgery. Care is taken to exhaust all non-surgical treatment modalities prior to surgery. I have studied, designed and taught minimally invasive techniques to treat many disorder of the upper-extremity; in an effort to minimize pain and deformity and speed up recovery. Both before and after surgery is performed a strong subspecialized support team is involved to guarantee patient satisfaction, and assure that ALL needs are met. I pride myself on my ability to effectively diagnose, treat and manage each patient in a friendly, empathic and comfortable setting.

• M.D., University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa: 1984-1989
• Internship, Orthopaedic Surgery: The University of Chicago Hospitals, Chicago IL; 1994-1995
• Residency,
  1. Orthopaedic Surgery: University of the Witwatersrand General Hospital, Johannesburg South Africa; 1990-1992
  2. Orthopaedic Surgery: The University of Chicago Hospitals, Chicago IL; 1995-1999
• Fellowship,
  1. Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery: The Curtis National Hand Center/Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Baltimore MD; 1999-2000
  2. Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery: University of Chicago, Chicago IL; 1992-1994

• Chicago Surgical Society: Annual competition - 1993
• American Association for Hand Surgery, 23rd Annual Meeting: Best Research Basic Science Category - 1993
• Howard Schneider Competition: Illinois Orthopaedic Society - 1994 and 1998
• AOA-Zimmer Traveling Award: American Orthopaedic Association - 1998
• Illinois Orthopaedic Society: Resident Competition - 1999
• The University of Chicago: Section of Orthopaedic Surgery - Teacher of the Year Award, 2001-2002

• Phillips CS, Falender R and Mass D. Ulnar flexor tendon synovial sheath anatomy: A macroscopic study. Journal of Hand Surgery 20A:636-641, 1995.
• Phillips C and Mackay DR. An unusual foreign body in the hand; delayed presentation of a retained human tooth. A case report. Scandinavian Journal of Plastic Reconstructive and Hand Surgery 29(2):181-183, 1995.
• Phillips CS and Mass D. Mechanical analysis of the palmar aponeurosis pulley in human cadaver hands. Journal of Hand Surgery 21A:240-244, 1996.
• Komanduri M, Phillips CS and Mass D. Tensile strength of flexor tendon repairs in a dynamic cadaver model. Journal of Hand Surgery 21A:605-611, 1996.
• Kang H, Lee S, Phillips CS and Mass D. Biomechanical changes of cadaveric finger flexion: The effect of wrist position and of the transverse carpal ligament and palmar and forearm fasciae. Journal of Hand Surg 21A:963-968, 1996.
• Hamman J, Ali A, Phillips CS, Cunningham B and Mass D. A biomechanical study of the flexor digitorum superficialis: Effects on digital pulley excision and loss of flexor digitorum profundus. Journal of Hand Surgery 22A:328-335, 1997.
• Phillips FM, Phillips CS, Wetzel FT and Gelinas C. Occipito-cervical neutral position - Surgical implications. Spine 24:775-778, 1999.
• Phillips CS, Murphy MS. Vascular Problems of the Upper-Extremity: A Primer for the Orthopaedic Surgeon. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, November 2002.
• Phillips CS, Nenadovich N. A contemporary approach to osteoporotic wrist fractures in the elderly.
  Advances in Osteoporotic Fracture Management. Quarterly review, October 2002
• Phillips CS, Swanson A and Mass MD. A mechanical comparison of pulley reconstruction techniques in the cadaver digit. Accepted after resubmission Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery