Dr. James Helgager Orthopedic Surgeon

• Pre-Medical - Augustana College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
• 1968

  Bachelor of Arts Degree/Biology Major
• 1972

  Medical School- Northwestern University
• 1972 - 1973

  Internship - University of California at Davis
• 1974 - 1978

  Residency - Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University
• 1978

  Fellowship - Hand Surgery, Northwestern University, July/August

• American Association of Hip and Knee Surgery
• American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
• Advanced Trauma Support
• Western Orthopaedic Association
• American Medical Association
• San Diego County Medical Association
• American College of Sports Medicine
• Arthroscopy Association of North America
• American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society
• Qualified Medical Examiner-State of California

• Tri-City Medical Center, Oceanside, California
• North Coast Surgery Center, Oceanside, California
• Orthopedic Surgery Center of La Jolla
• Carlsbad Surgery Center, Carlsbad Ca.
• Scripps Encinitas Hospital, Encinitas Ca

• Various hospital committees, including Chief of Physical Medicine Committee.
• Chief of Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tri City Medical Center 1984-1986, 1995-1996; 2001- 2003, 2008-2011
• Secretary/Treasurer, Western Orthopaedic Association, San Diego Chapter 1992.
• President Elect, Western Orthopaedic Association, San Diego Chapter, 1992.
• President, Western Orthopaedic Association, San Diego Chapter 1993.

• "Avoiding Anatomic Pitfalls Helps Minimize Shoulder Scope Problems", Orthopaedics Today, January 1992, Volume 12, No 1.
• "Arthroscopic Subacromial Decompression: Results according to the degree of rotator cuff tear" Esch, Ozerkis, Helgager, Kane and Lilliott. Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, 4 (4): 241- 249.
• "Achilles Tendon Rupture" Beal, Bachman and Helgager. Illinois
  Medical Journal, 150:427-428. October 1976
• "Photo Synthetic Adaptations in Arctic and Alpine, Populations of Deschampsia caespitosa" Tiezen and Helgager. Nature, 219:1066-68. September 1968.
• "Complications in Shoulder Arthroscopy", Orthopaedics Today, December 1991, Volume 11, No. 12

• Guest lecturer North County Medical Meeting, Park City, Utah, March, 1983.
• Laboratory instructor, Second Annual San Diego Arthroscopic Surgery Course, May, 1985.
• Moderator and laboratory instructor, Third Annual San Diego Arthroscopic Surgery Course, April 1986.
• Instructional lectures to physicians, nurses and therapist at Tri-City Medical Center.
• Moderator and laboratory instructor, Fourth Annual San Diego Arthroscopic Surgery Course, May 8-9, 1987.
• Poster exhibit, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, San Francisco, California, January 22-27, 1987.
• Moderator and laboratory instructor, Fifth Annual Arthroscopic Surgery Course, La Jolla, California, April 15-17, 1988.
• Poster exhibit, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Atlanta, Georgia, February 4-8, 1988.
• Poster exhibit, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Las Vegas, Nevada, February 19-24, 1989.
• Moderator and laboratory instructor, Fifth Annual Arthroscopic Surgery Course, La Jolla, California, April 15-17, 1988.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator Sixth Annual Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder Course, La Jolla, California, May 18-20, 1989.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator Seventh Annual Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder Course, La Jolla, California, June 21-23, 1990.
• Guest lecturer North County Medical Meeting, Whistler, Canada, February 26-March 2, 1990.
• Program Chairman, Western Orthopaedic Association Spring Retreat, Lake Arrowhead, California, May 31-June 3, 1990.
• Guest lecturer, laboratory instructor and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Eighth Annual San Diego Meeting, July 25 to July 27, 1991
• Moderator Ninth Annual Malcolm B. Coutts, Western Orthopaedic San Diego Visiting Professorship. January 17-18, 1992.
• Guest lecturer Winter Medical Seminar, Snowmass, Colorado, February 24-28, 1992.
• Laboratory director and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Ninth Annual San Diego Meeting, June 25 to June 27, 1992.
• Guest lecturer and moderator, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Meeting, Advanced Arthroscopy: Upper Extremity and Ankle, Rancho Mirage, California, October 22-24, 1992.
• Laboratory instructor, Arthroscopy Association of North America, Fall Course, Monterey, California, November 19-22, 1992.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Tenth Annual San Diego Meeting, June 16-19, 1993.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Eleventh Annual San Diego Meeting, June 15-18, 1994.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Twelfth Annual San Diego Meeting, June 14-17, 1995.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Thirteenth Annual San Diego Meeting, June 26-29, 1996.
• Guest lecturer, Arthritis Foundation, Tri City Medical Center Oceanside, California, May 27, 1997.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Fourteenth Annual San Diego Meeting, June 18-21, 1997.
• Laboratory instructor, Arthroscopy Association of North America, Fall Course, Nashville, Tennessee, November 5-9, 1997.
• Guest lecturer, Arthritis Foundation, Tri City Medical Center Oceanside, California, May 1998.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Fifteenth Annual San Diego Meeting, June 24-27, 1998.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Sixteenth Annual San Diego Meeting, June 22-25, 1999.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Seventeenth Annual San Diego Meeting, June 14-17, 2000.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Eighteenth Annual San Diego Meeting, June 20-23, 2001.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Nineteenth Annual San Diego Meeting, June 22, 2002.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Twentieth Annual San Diego Meeting, June 27, 2003.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Twenty-First Annual San Diego Meeting, July 7-10, 2004.
• Laboratory instructor and moderator, Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Twenty-Second Annual San Diego Meeting, June 22-24, 2005.
• Various community educational lectures.

• Continuing Education Course in Intradiscal Therapy
  Los Angeles, California
  February 9, 1983
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  Annual Meeting
  Anaheim, California
  March 10-15, 1983
• Complications in Total Joint Replacement
  Phoenix, Arizona
  October 27-29, 1983
• The Foot and Ankle - Trauma, Sports and Reconstructive Procedures
  Santa Monica, California
  November 28-30, 1983
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  Annual Meeting
  Atlanta, Georgia
  February 9-14, 1984
• Arthroscopy Association of North America
  Annual Meeting
  New Orleans, Louisiana
  March 29-April 1, 1984
• Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Course
  San Diego, California
  September 8-9, 1984
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  Summer Instructor
  San Diego, California
  September 10-14, 1984
• Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty
  Long Beach, California
  October 22-29, 1984
• Winter Sports Injuries
  Snow Mass, Colorado
  January 24-27, 1985
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  Annual Meeting
  Las Vegas, Nevada
  January 24-29, 1985
• Cruciate Ligament Course
  Long Beach, California
  October 19-20, 1985
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  Advanced Concepts of Operative Arthroscopy
  San Diego, California
  November 21-23, 1985
• California International Medical-Dental Meeting
  Snowbird, Utah
  December 11-15, 1985
• Malcolm B. Coutts
  Western Orthopaedic Visiting Professorship
  San Diego, California
  January 10-11, 1986
• Arthroscopy Association of North America
  Annual Meeting
  San Francisco, California
  March 20-23, 1986
• Shoulder and Elbow Arthroscopy Course
  San Diego, California
  April 25-26, 1986
• Total Hip and Knee Meeting
  Jackson Hole, Wyoming
  September, 1986
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  Annual Meeting
  San Francisco, California
  January 22-27, 1987
• Malcolm B. Coutts
  Western Orthopaedic Visiting Professorship
  San Diego, California
  January, 1987
• Shoulder and Elbow Arthroscopy Meeting
  San Diego, California
  May 8-9, 1987
• Shoulder Surgery, Current Techniques
  Beverly Hills, California
  September 28-30, 1987
• Acetabular and Femoral Reconstruction in Primary Revision
  Total Hip Arthroplasty
  Manhattan Beach, California
  October 23-24, 1987
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon
  Summer Institute
  San Diego, California
  September 7-11, 1988
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  Annual Meeting
  Las Vegas, Nevada
  February 9-14, 1989
• Winter Medical Seminar
  February 25-29, 1989
  Aspen, Colorado
• The Athlete's Knee
  Chicago, Illinois
  June 8-10, 1989
• Western Orthopaedic Association
  Spring Retreat
  Lake Arrowhead, California
  May 31-June 3, 1989
• Winter Medical Seminar
  Whistler, Canada
  February 26-March 1, 1990
• Total Joint Replacement
  Park City, Utah
  March 14-18, 1990
• Western Orthopaedic Association
  Spring Retreat
  Lake Arrowhead, California
  May 31-June 3, 1990
• Wilderness Medicine, University of California San Diego San Diego,
  California
  August 12-17, 1990
• Twelfth International Seminar on Operative Arthroscopy
  Kauai, Hawaii
  October 20-27, 1990
• Advances in Hip and Knee Arthroplasty
  San Francisco, California
  October 4-6, 1990
• Malcolm B. Coutts
  Western Orthopaedic Association
  San Diego, California
  January 24-26, 1991
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  Anaheim, California
  March 7-12, 1991
• Arthroscopy Association of North America
  Anaheim, California
  March 10, 1991
• American Orthopaedic Society for Sports
  Anaheim, California
  March 10, 1991
• Arthroscopy Association of North America
  San Diego, California
  April 24-27, 1991
• Malcolm B. Coutts
  Western Orthopaedic Association
  January 17-18, 1992
• Winter Medical Seminar
  Snowmass, Colorado
  February 24-28, 1992
• Malcolm B. Coutts
  Western Orthopaedic Association
  January 20-21, 1993
• State of the Art Total Hip and Knee Replacement
  Vail, Colorado
  January 24-27, 1993
• State of the Art Total Hip Replacement
  Vail, Colorado
  January 23-25, 1994
• State of the Art Total Knee Replacement
  Vail, Colorado
  January 26-28, 1994
• North County Medical Seminar
  Telluride, Colorado
  February 28-March 4, 1994
• Arthroscopic Association of North America
  Palm Desert, California
  December 1-4, 1994
• State of the Art Total Hip Replacement
  Vail, Colorado
  January 22-24, 1995
• State of the Art Total Knee Replacement
  Vail, Colorado
  January 25-27, 1995
• North County Winter Medical Seminar
  Whistler, Canada
  February 24, 1996 - March 2, 1996
• Trauma Update
  Vail, Colorado
  January 24-26, 1997
• State of the Art Total Hip Replacement
  Vail, Colorado
  January 26-28, 1997
• State of the Art Total Knee Replacement
  Vail, Colorado
  January 29-31, 1997
• 64th Annual American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  February 13-17, 1997
  San Francisco, CA
• Arthroscopy Association of North America
  April 23-26, 1997
  San Diego, CA
• State of the Art-Total Knee and Hip Replacement
  Controversies and Solutions
  Vail, Colorado
  January 24-30, 1998
• 66th Annual American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  Anaheim, California
  February 4-9, 1999.
• Outcomes in Orthopaedic Surgery
  Vail, Colorado
  March 17-21, 1999
• Arthroscopy Association of North America
  Knee lecture & laboratory
  November 6-7, 1999

• Arthroscopy Association of North America
  Annual Fall Meeting
  Palm Desert, CA
  November 16-19, 2000
• 17th International Symposium
  Bone Growth Factors and Substitutes
  Vail, Colorado
  December 9-10, 2000
• Seventeenth Annual San Diego Shoulder Course
  San Diego, CA
  June 14-17, 2000
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Meeting
  San Francisco
  February 28- March 4, 2001
• State of the Art in Orthopedics
  Whistler, British Columbia
  March 18-22, 2001
• Eighteenth Annual San Diego Shoulder Course
  San Diego, CA
  June 20-23, 2001
• 16th Annual Vail Orthopedic Symposium Trauma Update
  Vail, Colorado
  January 22-24, 2002
• State of the Art Total Hip and Knee Replacement
  Controversies and Solutions
  January 27- February 2, 2002
  Vail, Colorado
• Nineteenth Annual San Diego Shoulder Course
  San Diego, California
  June 19-22, 2002
• The International Federation of Foot and Ankle Societies' Triennial Scientific Meeting
  San Francisco, California
  September 12-14, 2003
• Hip, Knee & Shoulder Symposium
  Park City, Utah
  March 4-8, 2003
• Twentieth Annual San Diego Shoulder Course
  San Diego, California
  June 25-28, 2003
• Twentieth Annual San Diego Shoulder Course-Model Lab
  San Diego, California
  June 25, 2003
• Twentieth Annual San Diego Shoulder Course-Model Lab
  San Diego, California
  June 27, 2003
• Arthroscopy Association of North America Knee Lecture and Laboratory
  New Orleans
  November 13, 2003
• 18h Annual Vail Orthopaedic Symposium State of the Art Total Hip and knee Replacement Controversies and Solutions
  Vail, Colorado
  January 25-30, 2004
• American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 71st Annual Meeting
  San Francisco, California
  March 10-14, 2004
• Arthroscopy Association of North America Specialty Day
  San Francisco, California
  March 13, 2004
• Livingstone-Lopez Consulting Qualified Medical Evaluator Continuing Education
  July 6, 2004
• Twenty-First Annual San Diego Shoulder Course
  San Diego, California
  July 7-10, 2004
• Twenty-Second Annual San Diego Shoulder Course
  San Diego, California
  June 22-25, 2005
• Twenty-Second Annual San Diego Shoulder Course Cadaver Arthroscopic Surgery Lab
  San Diego, California
  June 24, 2005
• 20th Annual Vail Orthopaedic Symposium: Total hip and Knee Arthroplasty
  Vail, Colorado
  January 20-22, 2006
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2006 Annual Meeting
  Chicago, Illinois
  March 22-26, 2006
• The Arthroscopy Association of North American Specialty Day Program
  Chicago, Illinois
  March 25, 2006

• Operative treatment of Fractures and Non-unions
  (A-D Course)
  April 23-28, 1978
• Lower Extremity and Spine Orthotics
  For Physicians and Surgeons
  Northwestern University, Chicago Rehabilitation Center
  Chicago, Illinois
  May 1-5, 1978
• Midas Rex Psychomotor Skills Conference
  Los Angeles, California
  October 12-14, 1981

Dr Helgeiger just preformed a partial knee replacement on me. He is a very talented Dr. an expert in his field; I have minimal pain and have been walking the day of my surgery. I would highly recommend Dr Helgeiger and is staff

~ Carolyn Johnson ~

Did Helgager did an excellent work on my knee!!! 19 days i was back to work and i had no complications with the surgery!!! I highly recommend him

~ Gloria Warner ~

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