Airell L. Nygaard M.D. is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS). He was in active clinical practice for 42 years and retired in 2021 due to progressive arthritis in his hands.

With over 100,000+ patient visits and 15,000+ surgical procedures, Dr. Nygaard possesses considerable clinical experience and expertise in multiple areas of orthopedic medicine. His evaluation skills and surgical experience provide valuable background in evaluating multiply injured individuals.    

Dr. Nygaard received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, followed by a Rotating Internship, one year of General Surgery Residency, and four years of Orthopedic Residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.

Later, he was appointed as an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado, in recognition of his voluntary teaching of Family Practice residents in his office and speaking at multiple Family Practice conferences.

He has extensive speaking experience with physicians, allied health personnel and community forums on multiple orthopedic topics.

Dr. Nygaard has received training from SEAK Inc. on the performance of IMEs, medical file reviews, and expert witness services. This training supplements his prior experience completing Independent Medical Exams (IMEs), depositions, and court testimony acquired during his active practice years. 

His IMEs have provided opinions regarding various musculoskeletal diagnoses, mechanisms of injury, reasonable medical care and treatment, need for future medical treatment, causation, and apportionment.

Expertise

His special interests are non-work or work-related personal injuries resulting from slip and fall accidents, transportation-related accidents, boating mishaps, commercial vehicle accidents, aviation crashes, or farm vehicle injuries. 

Dr. Nygaard benefits from decades of experience and an in-depth understanding of complex musculoskeletal problems, ranging from fractures and soft tissue injuries to orthopedic diseases and multiple types of orthopedic surgery. His large number of patients examined enhances his ability to recognize patterns of orthopedic syndromes, various treatment protocols, anticipated typical recoveries, and in-depth insight into personal injury cases.

Dr. Nygaard provides consulting and expert witness services for all aspects of orthopedic surgery, with specific experience in the following areas:  

Upper extremity:

· Shoulder/arm fractures, rotator cuff, shoulder instability

·Elbow fractures, tennis elbow, bursitis

·Forearm, wrist, and hand fractures

· Hand tendon injuries, carpal tunnel, trigger finger

·Thumb arthritis

·Shoulder, elbow arthroscopy

· Non-surgical cervical & thoracolumbar spine treatment

Lower extremity:

·Hip fractures, bursitis

·Femur and knee fractures

·Knee arthroscopy

·A.C.L. reconstruction, knee ligament repairs

·Meniscus and articular cartilage surgery

·Leg and ankle fractures

·Fracture non-unions and malunions

·Osteomyelitis/bone infections

·Ankle arthroscopy

·Foot fractures

Joint replacements

·Shoulder, hip, and knee, including MAKO partial knee replacements

·Arthritis management

Airell Nygaard MD

Nov 2024

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

EDUCATION:

PERSONAL INJURIES

ORTHOPEDIC AREAS OF INJURY