About Richard A. Kirkpatrick, MD
Richard Kirkpatrick, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon who provides general orthopedic services, including arthroscopy, joint replacement, and fracture care. Dr. Kirkpatrick earned his medical degree at the University of Oklahoma (OU) College of Medicine and completed his residency at OU Health Sciences Center. He is board-certified by The American Board of Orthopedic Surgery.
His special interests include:
- Robotic-assisted total knee replacement
- Total joint replacement of the hip and shoulder
- Orthopedic care of the knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand
- Arthroscopic surgery
- Carpal tunnel surgery
- Rotator cuff repair
- Sports-related injuries
- Surgical fracture care
“I enjoy helping my patients with a significant area or pain or dysfunction. These areas best help me accomplish that goal,” Dr. Kirkpatrick said.
Dr. Kirkpatrick treats patients of all ages. He said he chose to be an orthopedic surgeon because he enjoys hands-on work and the challenge that surgery provides, but also because of his personal experiences.
“It happens to a lot of orthopedic surgeons that they played sports and ended up with an injury that exposed them to [orthopedics] and that’s kind of the same situation with me. I had a couple of injuries in high school and college that exposed me to the field of medicine, in specific orthopedics. I enjoyed the care that I got, I enjoyed the way that I was treated, and they got me back to a healthy position where I was able to go back to sports and continue to be active,” he said.
Dr. Kirkpatrick said his patients can expect a doctor who listens to their concerns and tries to find the least aggressive intervention to improve their condition.
“I love taking care of patients,” Dr. Kirkpatrick said. “We have tons of meetings and all those other things that occur that are logistic things. It’s sometimes a relief just to go to clinic and talk to patients and see them, and learn their families, and take care of them and love on them because that’s the reason we did it to begin with.
“A lot of other things can become distractors and keep you from focusing on the reason you’re there to begin with. Seeing patients in clinic and doing surgery on patients that need it is absolutely still my favorite thing, and when it’s not my favorite thing, I’m going to retire.”
Dr. Kirkpatrick also tailors his approach to each patient, regardless of what his or her condition is.
“All patients are different. Their circumstances are different. There’s no cookie-cutter way of practicing medicine. It’s why they call it practice because the science is sometimes difficult,” he said.
Dr. Kirkpatrick and his wife, Dr. Denae Kirkpatrick, have three children together. He enjoys spending time at the lake with family, skiing and fishing.
He also enjoys traveling to the Turks and Caicos Islands, his wife’s chicken fried chicken and the book “Braveheart.” His favorite holiday tradition is just being at home with his wife and kids on Christmas morning.
Dr. Kirkpatrick is accepting new patients. He sees patients at Ortho Central – Norman, 3400 W. Tecumseh Rd., Suite 101 in Norman, and at Ortho Central – Tri-City, 300 NW 32nd St. in Newcastle. Call 405-360-6764 to schedule your appointment at either location.
