Nicolai B. Baecher, MDFellowship-Trained
Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon
Hand and Upper Extremity Surgeon
Dr. Nicolai Baecher chose to specialize in hand surgery for its complexity. With 29 bones and 34 muscles at work to move your fingers and thumb, you can imagine there’s a lot of variety and intricacy in the kind of surgeries Dr. Baecher performs.
Dr. Baecher treats acute traumatic injuries, such as fractures, nerve and tendon injuries, and complex wounds. He also treats patients who have chronic problems, such as arthritis or nerve compression (such as carpal tunnel syndrome) that have worsened over time. Although this type of problem may not seem as urgent, the sooner patients seek treatment, the better.
Dr. Baecher’s approach to hand problems is holistic and patient-centered. Depending on what the patient needs, this will involve surgical and nonsurgical treatments. With surgeon guidance, nonoperative therapies such as steroid injections and hand therapy will often reduce pain and improve mobility.
In addition to his specialized training in hand surgery, Dr. Baecher also focuses on the upper extremity, which includes shoulder and elbow surgeries. Dr. Baecher is a Boston native, and trained at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hamot. He was in practice in D.C. before joining SMOC in Hampton Roads in 2017.
Dr. Baecher and his wife reside in Norfolk with their two children. When Dr. Baecher isn’t in the OR or seeing patients, he surfs, skis, plays piano or spends time with his family.
- University of Chicago, Philosophy, Chicago, Ill.
- Georgetown School of Medicine, Washington, D.C.
Orthopaedic Surgery, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C.
Hand, Microsurgery and Reconstructive Orthopaedics, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hamot
Intramural Research Training Award Fellow, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
AO Trauma
American Society for Surgery of the Hand
- Chief Resident for Orthopaedic Surgery, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C.
- Intramural Research Training Award, NIH
- Residency Enhancement Grant Recipient, Orthopaedic Research & Education Foundation
Advanced biological materials are changing what’s possible in hand and shoulder surgery. Innovative procedures such as superior capsular reconstructions are making it possible to delay shoulder replacement for select patients with massive rotator cuff tears, and this is particularly important for younger patients in their 50s, who may be too active for a reverse shoulder replacement. Nerve conduits and grafts now allow us to repair nerves that previously would have required sacrificing another nerve from the patient’s body to perform the surgery. Over the next decade, I expect innovations such as these to drive the progress of hand surgery.
