Jack G. Skendzel, M.D.

Jack Skendzel’s patients appreciate his personable approach. “The best part of my job is seeing my patients, getting to know them, and working with them to help them regain function,” he explains. Dr. Skendzel is known for calling patients personally to report and explain their imaging results. He makes education a priority. “When we meet with a new patient, I always go over their x-rays with them and explain their condition and their options. Not all of our patients are surgical candidates, but I think it is important that they understand the condition of their hip or knee so we can work together to make an informed decision.”

“We like to treat patients like they are a member of our own family,” Skendzel smiles. “From education, to providing patients with materials and resources, to managing expectations about surgery and recovery, to being available if they do have questions, we are committed to providing our patients with the services they need to regain function and go back to the active life they love.”

Education and training

An avid downhill skier, Dr. Skendzel shares a passion for active sports with his patients. After completing his undergraduate work at Notre Dame, medical school at Georgetown University School of Medicine, and his residency program at the University of Michigan, Skendzel did a fellowship at the Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colorado. His passion for skiing complemented his work as team physician for the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Ski Team, and he traveled to Europe, Chile and New Zealand to provide medical assistance.

Sports medicine care for all ages

Jack Skendzel, M.D. is an orthopedic surgeon, sub-specializing in sports medicine. “I enjoy working with active people; sports medicine sets the bar high for me,” he says. “My patients are people who are physically functioning at a very high level to begin with; if they experience an injury or pain, they expect our team to get them back to the very highest level of performance. I like that. My specialty is working with athletes between the ages of thirteen and sixty. Today, lifestyle defines my patients more accurately than age. I treat 55- and 60-year-olds with a healthy, active lifestyle who love sports and look fantastic.” Recreational, high school, college athletes are well cared for using a comprehensive, team-based approach​.

Highly-specialized hip care: Hip labral tears, hip impingement, and hip arthroscopy

Dr. Skendzel’s focus is sports medicine, with a special interest in hip labral tears, hip impingement, and hip arthroscopy. “Hip arthroscopy is relatively new in the field of orthopedics,” explains Skendzel. “Today, MRI scans are so good that we can see labral tears—in the past, imaging a tear was not possible. Also, previously, correcting hip impingement required us to dislocate the patient’s hip in a significant, invasive procedure. With today’s technology, we have much less invasive surgical options to offer these patients.”

A large amount of hip arthroscopy surgeries are performed by Dr. Skendzel. He is highly specialized in hip labral tears and hip impingement in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Many patients travel to seek out Dr. Skendzel’s unique expertise in this area from greater Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the surrounding regions. If you ask Dr. Skendzel, recovering from hip surgery takes a team, and his entire team is well versed in hip conditions and treatments to provide cohesive care.

Patient satisfaction for hip arthroscopy

Patient satisfaction and the results of patients’ care are tracked. The Skendzel team does this to help other patients know what to expect, ensure continued high patient satisfaction, and continually advance and refine care. For more information on these quality measures, check out the resources tab at the top of the page.

Advanced knee care

When it comes to the knee and athletes, many things can wrong. Dr. Skendzel sees a variety of injuries and conditions, but particularly sees a high volume of ACL tears, multi-ligament knee injuries, knee cartilage, and meniscus injuries. He uses modern techniques designed to return patients to sports and activities quickly and safely. To reduce the risk of re-injury, Dr. Skendzel partners with the physical therapy team here at Summit Orthopedics to develop the ASCEND physical therapy program. The ASCEND program is designed to provide the specialized conditioning athletes need. It bridges the gap between standard therapy and return to play, with a focus on injury prevention.

Ask Dr. Skendzel: Knee-related articles

Get more expert advice and tips from Dr. Jack Skendzel in these knee-related articles:

ACL Injuries

• Can pre-surgical therapy improve my ACL surgical outcome?

Knee Cartilage

Unstable Kneecaps

Specialized shoulder care

Active adults and athletes can also encounter reduced function and injury to the shoulder. Dr. Skendzel treats active patients with rotator cuff tears, shoulder dislocations, and shoulder labral tears. To learn more about how shoulder dislocations are treated, and best managed by a specialist familiar with the intricacies of the shoulder.