Meet the Expert: Doctor Bio Video Series
Meet Kristoffer Breien, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Summit Orthopedics in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. His specialties include hip, knee, complex revision hip and knee replacements, arthroscopic procedures and sports injury treatment of the knee and lower extremity, fracture care.
About Kristoffer Breien, M.D.
Dr. Breien’s approach: “I tend to be more conservative in my approach, reserving surgery as a last option. In essence, I strive to care for patients and their problems in the same manner my family and I expect to be treated when we seek medical attention.”
Dr. Breien’s education: Dr. Breien received his undergraduate degree at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. He went to Creighton University for medical school and his residency at Creighton-Nebraska University Health Foundation in Omaha, Nebraska.
When to seek treatment for your arthritis
Arthritis doesn’t have to spell the end of an active life. If you are experiencing worrisome symptoms or persistent pain, the renowned arthritis specialists at Summit Orthopedics can help. We work with you to confirm a diagnosis and develop an appropriate conservative treatment plan. If nonsurgical treatments fail to support your lifestyle goals, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons will consult with you and discuss appropriate surgical options. Summit is home to innovative joint replacement options. Our Vadnais Heights Surgery Center is one of only two surgery centers nationally to receive The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement.
Start your journey to healthier joints. Find your arthritis expert, request an appointment online, or call us at (651) 968–5201 to schedule a consultation.
Summit has convenient locations across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin. We have state-of-the-art centers for comprehensive orthopedic care in Eagan, MN, Plymouth, MN, Vadnais Heights, MN, and Woodbury, MN, as well as additional community clinics throughout the metro and southern Minnesota.
More resources for you
Video Transcription
Hi. My name is Dr. Kris Breien. I’m an orthopedic surgeon with Summit Orthopedics, specializing in hips, knees, sports injuries, and general orthopedics. I see mostly lower extremity injuries: knee problems, hip problems, arthritis, a fair number of sports injuries in lower extremity. Patients are smart. It’s not the old way when the doctor was the end all in the town, and you went in and they said, this is how it is and this is how it will be. Now they come in with questions, lists of questions. And they’re smart; they’re educated. And so you have to – first of all, I have to be educated. And then I have to help them work through what they’ve learned on the internet. Because oftentimes there’s, oddly enough, it’s not all true on the internet. My job is tremendously rewarding. It has its risks. When you operate on people it’s high risk. There are problems. There’re always complications. But when people come crawling into your office begging to have something done because their life is not what they want it to be and they’re having trouble even enjoying simple activities such as walking around the block, and then you engage them and you work through the issue with them, perhaps operate on them. And then a couple of months or a year later, you see them going walking or hiking or skiing and taking vacations, enjoying life, that’s immensely satisfying, and that keeps you coming back to work every day.