Bob Allison. Harmon Killebrew. Rod Carew. They and other Minnesota Twins greats were John Steubs’ heroes long before the Rochester lad would add “Doctor” to his name. Yet while he did have the makings of a varsity athlete and competed in football, basketball and track, young Dr. Steubs never once did an impressive thing on the diamond.
Funny, though, that Dr. Steubs now has to take off his 1991 World Series ring before performing orthopedic surgery. He has served as one of the Twins’ team physicians for over three decades, making certain our players’ shoulders, elbows and knees are all up to the task of trouncing whichever bums dare to challenge the great state of Minnesota. Dr. Steubs spent nearly half of his tenure as the Twins’ medical director, overseeing the health of over 200 players throughout the entire organization.
“It’s been a fun ride,” said Dr. Steubs. “Meeting my heroes and treating up-and-coming Hall of Famers is just about the greatest honor a lifelong Twins fan like me could hope for. And let me tell you, my family and I don’t mind escaping to Fort Myers during Spring Training.
“I take care of upper and lower extremity injuries during my work with the Twins – just like I do during my work at TRIA. I treat my patients with the same care regardless of whether they want to resume throwing 100 mph fastballs or going for their morning jog. Both share fundamentally identical injuries, and both equally deserve to enjoy their best state of health.
“TRIA’s origins are in sports. Throughout the ‘90s and early ‘00s the doctors in my group treated all the pro athletes in town; not just the Twins, but also the Vikings, the Timberwolves, the Wild and the college teams. But our process back then was frustratingly disjointed, as we would have to see patients in one office, then send them off to get MRIs in another location, and then to another for surgery.
“It was Dr. David Fischer who conceived a ‘one-stop orthopedic shop’ where we could consult, scan, and even perform surgery on our patients all in the same location. When TRIA officially opened in 2005, we further improved orthopedic medicine by introducing its first walk-in clinic. Instead of an emergency room, athletes and other people suffering from orthopedic injuries can now come to TRIA where everyone and everything they need for recovery is already present.
“TRIA continued revolutionizing orthopedic care over the past couple of decades. Fifteen years ago we introduced our Hotel Recovery Program, which offers our patients the option of recovering from surgery under supervised care at the Hilton instead of at the hospital. That treatment model proved to be not only safe and effective, but also far more affordable for everyone. Now that we’ve paved the way for it, Medicare and insurance providers are all confident covering hotel recovery – and other orthopedic centers, both around the metro area and the country, have followed suit.
“But the Hotel Recovery Program itself may become obsolete someday as well. TRIA has helped to advance orthopedic medicine so greatly that we have nearly eliminated the need for supervised recovery following procedures as invasive as total hip and knee replacement. Our surgeons’ love for research is why TRIA doctors were able to perform the first outpatient ACL reconstructions in this area, and TRIA continues to improve patient outcomes following every type of treatment we provide.
“Park Nicollet Health Services, University of Minnesota Department of Orthopedics and The Orthopedic Center all valued education long before they partnered to found TRIA. Today orthopedic residents come from throughout the country to receive training here. Our fellows go on to treat all levels of patients, although I am particularly impressed by those who enter professional sports, because it is a very demanding job.
“I have practiced orthopedic medicine for 37 years now, 16 of which I’ve spent at TRIA. I’m proud of what we have built here: yet another shining example of Minnesotan innovation in action, where we always take care of our patients the best way we can.”
TRIA’s orthopedic center at 8100 Northland Drive in Bloomington is located only 15 minutes away from Eden Prairie, and you do not need an appointment to see one of their passionate physicians today. You can learn more about Minnesota’s revolutionary orthopedic center at tria.com. You may also speak with TRIA’s medical receptionist by calling (952) 831-8742.