Dr. Ichtertz grew up in Southern California and attended the University of Southern California (USC), and then went on to Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston at the Texas Medical Center - the largest medical center in the world.
After graduating from medical school, Dr. Ichtertz completed an orthopaedic residency at the University of California, San Francisco - the West Coast's premier tertiary care center. This involved a very broad and thorough clinical education with numerous experts in their field. The department is especially strong in trauma/fracture management staffing two county trauma hospitals, arthroscopy/sports medicine, and hip and knee joint replacement for arthritis. They are also very strong in bone and soft tissue orthopaedic tumor management. With the ski slopes of Tahoe nearby and a huge population to draw from, this provided an excellent learning experience. Dr. Ichtertz conducted clinical research on treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and x-ray techniques in evaluation of knee arthritis, as well as optimal ankle fracture management. His published research proved that casts are not necessary after operative stabilization of fractured ankles.
Dr. Ichtertz then completed an upper extremity fellowship at Loma Linda University Medical Center under the tutelage of five skilled hand surgeons led by his mentor, Virgil Wood, M.D., renowned pediatric hand surgeon and thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) researcher. With Dr. Wood, Dr. Ichtertz published the landmark research clinical outcome study on soft tissue reconstruction of the rheumatoid hand that was published as the opening article in the Journal of Hand Surgery in 1988.
First presented by Dr. Ichtertz at the American Hand Society meeting in Puerto Rico in 1987, this research has received great acclaim at multiple international conferences. This treatment protocol allows for correction of rheumatoid hand deformity and prevention of the need for joint replacement, which had been widely held to be the only treatment option at that time.
Dr. Ichtertz has been practicing orthopaedics and hand surgery with emphasis on peripheral nerve entrapment in the hand and feet for 21 years.Dr. Ichtertz is American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) certified in orthopaedics and has earned a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Surgery of the Hand (CAQ Hand) . He has been innovative in developing better techniques for clinical diagnosis and treatment protocols. He holds the national record for allowing patients to return to work the most promptly (same day as surgery!), keeping them on the job and maintaining the best outcome in comparison to the international medical literature. He is among the few ( less than 1 in 4 in groups and even less in solo practice like Dr. Ichtertz) orthopaedic surgeons who conduct ongoing outcome studies. This ensures optimal results and continued improvements in diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Ichtertz's goal is to help people feel youthful and productive by preventing and eliminating painful or debilitating musculoskeletal conditions. Dr. Ichtertz was among the first to adopt endoscopic carpal tunnel release (ECTR). Dr. Ichtertz has been offering endoscopic carpal tunnel release for the past 17 years with excellent results in a steadily growing patient base.
Dr. Ichtertz is also among the few specialists and even fewer orthopaedists/hand surgeons to understand and be able to interpret nerve conduction study and EMG. This understanding is necessary in the proper diagnosis and treatment of entrapment neuropathy.
In his spare time Dr. Ichtertz enjoys flower gardening, photography and sports participation with his sons. He favors downhill skiing. He is also a certified SCUBA diver and sailboarder.