She is a rock climber, speaks Spanish and French, and loves cooking and dining.
But what Catherine Shin, MD, really does well is orthopedic surgery. She has a special interest in hand surgery.
Dr. Shin has joined Columbia Memorial Bone & Joint, one of the fastest growing practices in Columbia Memorial's system. Dr. Shin came to Columbia Memorial from a solo practice on the Island of Kauai in Hawaii.
Although Dr. Shin is proficient in all forms of orthopedic surgery, she performs specialized procedures such as endoscopic carpal tunnel releases and needle aponeurotomies (NA), and surgery for problems with wrists and hands. She also does surgery of the tendons that let you bend and straighten your fingers - flexor tendon surgery.
According to Dr. Shin, an endoscope lets her see structures in the wrist, such as the transverse carpal ligament, without opening the entire area with a large incision. During carpal tunnel surgery, the transverse carpal ligament is cut. This releases pressure on the median nerve, relieving carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.
The other minimally invasive procedure, needle aponeurotomies, succeeds in straightening bent fingers, making them functional again.
The procedure does not require anesthesia, creates minimal scarring, if any, and provides a fast recovery.
In flexor tendon surgery, Dr. Shin repairs the smooth, flexible, thick strings which bend your fingers. If a flexor tendon is cut in half, the end connected to the muscle is often pulled back into the palm.
Even a cut only part way into the tendon can be a big problem. Surgery must be performed within two weeks of the injury and extensive rehabilitation is necessary, according to Shin.
Dr. Shin, who grew up in Philadelphia, chose Columbia Memorial to be close to family in the northeast and because the rural but cosmopolitan environment here reminded her of where she practiced in Kauai.
"I love what an urban area offers, but don't want to live in one. Columbia Memorial afforded me the opportunity to get to the city but live in a calm, bucolic place," she said.
"And I am impressed with the collegiality and intellectual discussions that surgical staff have here. It reminds me of my residency."
Dr. Shin did her residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx.
Interestingly, Dr. Shin started her career as a mechanical engineer with Westinghouse. She has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and B.A.
in English from Rice University in Houston.
