Thomas Hickernell, MD

Thomas R Hickernell MD is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in adult hip and knee reconstructive surgery.  He attended medical school and completed an orthopedic surgery residency followed by a fellowship in adult hip and knee reconstruction surgery at Columbia University Medical Center.  He was an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Columbia and NYP Hudson Valley Hospital before joining Yale Orthopedics and Greenwich Hospital. 

Dr. Hickernell provides a range of services and procedures related to orthopedic and degenerative conditions of the hip and knee including minimally-invasive, muscle-sparing anterior hip replacement, total and partial knee replacement, and complex revision surgery on previously replaced and problematic joint replacements or patients with periprosthetic fractures or infection of the hip and knee.  He utilizes opioid-sparing multimodal pain control and Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols to facilitate same-day discharges in appropriately selected joint replacement patients.  He is a Fellow of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons and is actively involved in medical research, with a focus on studying methods of pain control while reducing opioid consumption.  His research is regularly published in journals including the Journal of Arthroplasty and the Journal of the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons.  He also regularly gives presentations at national medical meetings.