Craig Phillips, MD

Biography

Dr. Craig Phillips is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with a subspecialty certification in hand and upper extremity surgery, who specializes in treating the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder. His practice focuses on all conditions affecting the arms with common conditions such as hand and wrist fractures, wrist arthritis, nerve problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff tears, shoulder arthritis and shoulder replacements.

He offers all current treatments but prefers minimally invasive surgery such as the use of the medication Xiaflex for treatment of Dupuytren’s disease.

Dr. Phillips takes a conservative approach that utilizes surgery as a last resort only after options such as braces and injections have been exhausted. In each case, he seeks to provide empathetic care and educate patients so they can take an active role in their treatment. Dr. Phillips' goal for his patients is to return them to their normal lifestyle in the most rapid time period possible while providing the least disruptive treatment.

He has designed widely used implants for treating fractures including plates and screws for the wrist and elbow. He keeps informed of the latest developments in his field through his work as associate editor of the Journal of Hand Surgery and director of the combined hand surgery fellowship program at The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

Additional Areas of Expertise

• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Reconstructive Microsurgery
• Arthroscopy
• Fracture Care
• Adult & Pediatric General Orthopedic
• Elbow Pain & Injuries
• Independent Medical Evaluations (IME)

Philosophy of Care

I specialize in hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders because they’re an integral part of our life activities. It’s an especially intricate subspecialty of orthopedics.

Education

Research and Publications

• 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

Awards

• 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

Appointments

CURRENT POSITION:

• January 2004 – Present: Hand and Upper-Extremity Surgery,Microvascular Surgery, Illinois Bone & Joint Institute
• January 2004 – Present: Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery, Section of Orthopaedic Surgery, The University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS:

• July 1992 – June 1994: Research Associate – Hand and Upper-Extremity Surgery University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
• July 2000 – December 2003: Assistant Professor of Surgery, Reconstructive Hand and Upper-Extremity Surgery, Microvascular Surgery,Section of Orthopaedic Surgery,The University of Chicago Hospitals
• July 2000 – December 2003: Director Hand and Upper-Extremity Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Louis A Weiss Memorial Hospital
• January 2004 – June 2009: Instructor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

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Curriculum Vitae