BIOGRAPHY
Name

Michael Eckhoff, MD

Biography

Michael grew up on the lakes of Minnesota before obtaining his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota. He attended medical school at the Uniformed Services University in Maryland, before starting residency in Orthopedic Surgery in El Paso, Texas. Post-residency plans are to continue his education with a fellowship in Musculoskeletal Oncology. In his free time, Dr. Eckhoff enjoys hiking, lifting weights and spending time with his family and dog.

Topics

Hand Arthritis

Arthritis of the hand affects millions of people, particularly in older populations. Arthritis can result from wear-and-tear, also called primary osteoarthritis, or from certain disease processes such as rheumatoid arthritis. Often this presents as a progressive pain with the use of the hands, and at first, can be treated with anti- inflammatory medications alone. In a small number of people... Continue Reading

ACL Rupture

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures are extremely common sports-related injuries. These often occur due to non-contact pivoting motions or after direct hits to the outside of the knee while playing sports. Patients will often feel a pop with sudden onset pain and significant swelling of the knee and inability to bear weight. The ACL normally functions to prevent movement of... Continue Reading

Biceps Tendonitis

Biceps tendonitis is a common cause of shoulder pain in the front of the shoulder. It is most common in patients who perform overhead activities, whether for sport or for work. Front of the shoulder is often very tender to palpation and can be worse with lifting objects with that arm. The underlying process that is occurring is inflammation and... Continue Reading

Cervical Spine Stenosis

Cervical spinal stenosis is a diagnosis that means the spinal canal in the neck is decreasing in area or getting tight. This can cause impingement onto the spinal cord itself or on to the nerve roots that are coming off of the cord. This is usually due to hypertrophy, or increased size, of the ligaments within the spinal canal, bulging... Continue Reading

Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative disc disease is the spine equivalent of osteoarthritis. With wear-and-tear the disc that sits between vertebra in the spine starts to breakdown, shrink, and can become painful. Most often this presents with low back pain that is worse with bending and activity. At times with shrinking disc height, you can get reduction in the space for nerve roots that... Continue Reading

Leg Length Discrepancy

Limb length discrepancy is a common occurrence in the general population with many people being completely asymptomatic. It is generally accepted that up to 1 inch of difference in one leg from another is not noticed by patients. However, some patients have much larger differences of several inches or more between legs. Leg length discrepancy can result from multiple causes... Continue Reading