Getting to know Dr. Jason Andersen

When it came to choosing his specialty in medicine, there was never any doubt for Dr. Jason Andersen. He went to medical school planning to be an orthopaedic surgeon, and that is exactly what he did. As a soccer player throughout his childhood and high school years just north of Atlanta, Georgia, he had become a patient of an orthopaedic surgeon there. He respected that surgeon so much that when he was injured as a soccer player at Harvard University, he went back to that physician for surgery despite having Harvard doctors available to him. He says that personal experience with a sports injury helps him relate to his patients. “It was very discouraging to think that this injury in my junior year at Harvard was going to end that season for me, but I was able to have a successful surgery and rehab through it and came back my last year and started and played in every game. I feel like having that experience helps me relate to my patients who are going through that process with me and recovering from surgery. It allows me to speak on a more personal level, especially when it comes to post-operative recovery. Surgery is one thing, but it’s very important to understand what rehab entails. It’s very much a partnership with my patients. We go to the operating room, fix the problem, but then that’s still about half the equation. The next part is rehabbing effectively, taking the necessary precautions, and working hard with physical therapy in most instances.”