Dr. Keith R. Swanson, M.D.

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Get to know Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Keith R. Swanson, who serves patients in Northern Nevada

Dr. Swanson has practiced orthopaedic surgery in Lake Tahoe and the Carson Valley since 1979. He specializes in sports injuries to the knee and has a special interest in joint replacement surgery of the knee.

After practicing orthopaedic surgery for over 40 years, he has recently retired from the Medical Staffs of Barton Hospital and the Lake Tahoe Surgery Center. He is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Nevada School of Medicine Reno and currently provides orthopaedic consultation services through his professional corporation, Keith R. Swanson, M.D., PC.

The doctor’s acclaimed career in medicine began when he earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas. His internship was completed in Sacramento, California at the University of California at Davis Medical Center. After duties as a general medical officer with the U.S. Army stationed in Germany, he completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at Letterman Army Medical Center in San Francisco, California and Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children in St. Louis, Missouri. 

After serving as an Army orthopaedic surgeon at Reynolds Army Hospital in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Dr. Swanson entered private practice with Tahoe Fracture Clinic in 1979. In 1996, he became one of the founders of the Lake Tahoe Orthopaedic Institute. 

Additionally, he is a founding member of the Lake Tahoe Sports Medicine Fellowship, which continues to train orthopaedic surgeons in sports medicine techniques. He recently retired after a long and successful career as the Program Director of The Fellowship. His passion for teaching has resulted in him becoming the first Director of Graduate Medical Education for Barton Health.

In order to stay up to date in his field, he is board-certified in orthopaedic surgery with a subspecialty certification in sports medicine by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS). The ABOS is an organization with the goal of establishing educational and professional standards for orthopaedic residents and surgeons, as well as evaluating the qualifications and competence of orthopaedic surgeons. 

Furthermore, he is a member of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, as well as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. 

Orthopaedic surgery or orthopaedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopaedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors, and congenital disorders. 

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