Dr. James Helgager Orthopedic Surgeon

Education
- Pre-Medical - Augustana College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
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1968Bachelor of Arts Degree/Biology Major
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1972Medical School- Northwestern University
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1972 - 1973Internship - University of California at Davis
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1974 - 1978Residency - Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University
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1978Fellowship - Hand Surgery, Northwestern University, July/August
Certifications and Affiliations
- 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
Hospital Staff
- 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
Practice
3905 Waring Road, Oceanside, CA 92056
(760) 724-9000 Fax (760) 724-3686
Nine Physician Orthopaedic practice
Office and Committee Membership
- 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.
Publications
- "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
Teaching Assignments
- 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.
Family
Children: Jeffrey, Kirsten, Nicholas.
Hobbies
Educational Experience
- 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
Recent Educational Experience
- 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
Other Pertinent Educational Courses
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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. Helgager's Reviews
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 ~