Dr. Donald Kucharzyk D.O., Orthopedist
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Dr. Donald Kucharzyk D.O.

Orthopedist (Pediatric) | Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery

3/5(37)
7284 W Lincoln Highway Crown Point Indiana, 46307
Rating

3/5

About

Dr. Donald Kucharzyk is a orthopaedic surgeon specializing in pediatric orthopaedic surgery and spinal surgery  practicing in Crown Point, Indiana. Dr. Kucharzyk specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries, diseases and disorders of the body's musculoskeletal system in infants, adolescents, and adults caring for patient's "OF ALL AGE'S". When you come to see Dr. Kucharzyk you will see him and only him and not a nurse practitioner or MA or PA at each and every visit.

As a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Kucharzyk tends to childrens bones, ligaments, muscles, joints, nerves and tendons. Pediatric orthopaedic surgeons can treat newborns to teenagers. Some conditions Dr. Kucharzyk treats include gait abnormalities like limping, limp and spine deformities, broken bones and bone and joint infections. He treats all pediatric patient's with the care and compasion they need and are treated conservatively with surgery as a last resort. His philosophy is "Children are not Little Adult's and can not be treater as such" and this is how he approaches all their ailments.

As a orthopaedic spine surgeon, Dr Kucharzyk employe's all forms of conservative care first and when only all of these have been exhausted does surgery become an option. Dr. Kucharzyk utilizes all the common and state of the art procedures to bring his patient's back to their best functional level they can acheive. He wants his patient to return to the activities that they may have been avoiding due to their back condition. Dr. Kucharzyk has lectured and taught surgeon's locally, nationally and worldwide operating in many countries in Europe, Asia and South America. many international surgeons still remember him for the teachings and traingng he has conducted thru the past 30 years. In addition he has brought newer technologies to the region including the latest and newest Minimally Invasve Spine Surgery Systems with SeaSpine as well as the latest in the treatment of the SI joint "the great minimker of the back" in terms of nonoperative and operative arthodesis of the SI joint thru the Symmetry technologies and RTI medical.

 

Education and Training

Cincinnati Children's Medical Fellowship 1988

Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University 1983

Board Certification

American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery - Orthopedic Surgery

Provider Details

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Dr. Donald Kucharzyk D.O.
Dr. Donald Kucharzyk D.O.'s Expert Contributions
  • My son has scoliosis. What will be the course of treatment?

    The treatment is dictated by the degree of the curvature and the appearance in terms of spinal balance or imbalance and if there is decompensation of the spine. So these need to be known first and then the proper treatment instituted which may involve observation of the curve is under 20 degree and bracing if 30 degree's and surgery if it were to progress to 40-45 degree's. But these are baseline recommendations and may change dependent on the clinical examination and the radiographic evaluation as well READ MORE

  • How long does a fracture take to heal in a 3 year old?

    Typically, they heal in 3-6 weeks dependent on the type and location of the fracture with most healed by six weeks. READ MORE

  • My daughter had a fracture in her pinkie finger. The splint was just removed and it's swollen. What can we do?

    That is normal following the removal of the splint as motion will help to decrease the swelling but because of the splint she could not and did not move it. It will get better over the next few weeks and sometimes takes a month to even go down and sometimes there may be persistant swelling especially in the hand READ MORE

  • My son has a fever and leg pain. What could it be?

    The issue can be two-fold: One, it could be a toxic synovitis if associated with hip pain on examination or knee pain on examination. The other more serious is that he could have a septic joint from the infection if it is not viral, as it might be based upon the fact that he was placed on an antibiotic. He needs to be seen ASAP. READ MORE

Areas of expertise and specialization

Minimally Invasive Orthopedic Surgerypediatric orthopaedicsspinal deformitiessacroiliac joint dysfunction and arthrodesispediatric sports medicinearthroscopic surgeriesMinimally Invasive Spine Surgery

Faculty Titles & Positions

  • Associate Editor, Spine Journal -
  • Lectured in 25 Different Countries as guest speaker -

Treatments

  • Chronic Pain
  • Torn Meniscus
  • Spondylolisthesis
  • Neck Pain
  • Scoliosis
  • Herniated Disc
  • Birth Defects
  • Pain
  • Spinal Stenosis

Professional Memberships

  • Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery  
  • North American Spine Society  
  • American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics  

Treatments

  • All conservative forms of orthopaedic care for all musculoskeletal injuries and diseases including then when failed operative intervention

Internships

  • Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine

Fellowships

  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital - Pediatric Orthopaedics and Spinal Deformity

Professional Society Memberships

  • Mid-America Orthopaedic Society, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, North American Spine Society, Minimally Invasive Spine Society

Articles and Publications

  • Chapters in Textbooks, and Articles in Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery

What do you attribute your success to?

  • Treating his Patients and their Families like Family, with Kindness and Compassion

Hobbies / Sports

  • Golf

Favorite professional publications

  • Spine Journal, Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery

Areas of research

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

Sacroiliac Joint Treatment and Arthrodesis

Alternative Bone Graft Substitutes in Spine Fusion Surgery

Dr. Donald Kucharzyk D.O.'s Practice location

DK Orthopedics

7284 W Lincoln Highway -
Crown Point, Indiana 46307
Get Direction
New patients: 219-769-7004

Dr. Donald Kucharzyk D.O.'s reviews

(37)
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Patient Experience with Dr. Kucharzyk


3.0

Based on 37 reviews

Dr. Donald Kucharzyk D.O. has a rating of 3 out of 5 stars based on the reviews from 37 patients. FindaTopDoc has aggregated the experiences from real patients to help give you more insights and information on how to choose the best Orthopedist (Pediatric) | Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery in your area. These reviews do not reflect a providers level of clinical care, but are a compilation of quality indicators such as bedside manner, wait time, staff friendliness, ease of appointment, and knowledge of conditions and treatments.

Media Releases

Get to know Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Donald W. Kucharzyk, who serves patients in Crown Point, Indiana.

Dr. Kucharzyk, a board-certified pediatric orthopedic surgeon, has been providing Lake and Porter counties of Indiana and the border counties of Illinois with top-rated orthopedic care services for more than three decades. 

Since opening DK Orthopedics in 1989, he has had 208,650 patient visits, performed 13,440 surgeries, and 4,032 spinal surgeries. “At DK Orthopedics, our goal is to always attain the best possible healing and recovery for every patient we treat. Every patient is unique and we prescribe treatment based on an individual and completely thorough evaluation, which is performed using the latest technological advancements available” as stated on their website. 

With expanse knowledge and unrivaled expertise in pediatric orthopedics, Dr. Kucharzyk is affiliated with St. Mary Medical Center, Orthopaedic Podiatric & Spine Institute, Franciscan Health Crown Point, and Pinnacle Hospital. 

A leader in minimally invasive surgery, he remains a member of the American Osteopathic Association, the North American Spine Society, the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics, the Mid-America Orthopedic Association, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. 

A 1983 graduate of the Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Kucharzyk went on to complete his internship at the same educational venue, followed by his residency in orthopedic surgery at Chicago and Olympia Fields Osteopathic Medical Centers. He also completed his fellowship in pediatric orthopedics and spinal deformity at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. 

Shortly after, he became board-certified in orthopedic surgery by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, which is an organization with the goal of establishing educational and professional standards for orthopedic residents and surgeons, as well as evaluating the qualifications and competence of orthopedic surgeons.

Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics, also spelled orthopaedics, is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Pediatric orthopedic surgeons are specialists who treat musculoskeletal (bone, joint, back, or muscle) problems in children. Their specialty training is particularly valuable when treating bones that are still growing.

In addition to having taught and lectured throughout the United States and worldwide, Dr. Kucharzyk has written chapters in textbooks and articles in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. He attributes his success to treating his patients and their families like family with kindness and compassion.

Outside of the office, he enjoys playing golf. 

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Nearest Hospitals

FRANCISCAN HEALTH DYERl

24 JOLIET ST DYER IN 46311

7284 W Lincoln Hwy, Crown Point, IN 46307, USA
Head west toward US-30 W/E U.S. Highway 30
482 ft
Turn right onto US-30 W/E U.S. Highway 30Continue to follow US-30 W
5.1 mi
Turn left onto Hart St
463 ft
Turn right onto John Burge Ln
262 ft
Turn left at the 1st cross street onto Gettler St
167 ft
Turn rightDestination will be on the right
384 ft
24 Joliet St, Dyer, IN 46311, USA

FRANCISCAN HEALTH MUNSTERl

701 SUPERIOR AVE MUNSTER IN 46321

7284 W Lincoln Hwy, Crown Point, IN 46307, USA
Head west toward US-30 W/E U.S. Highway 30
482 ft
Turn right onto US-30 W/E U.S. Highway 30Continue to follow US-30 W
4.4 mi
Turn right onto Calumet Ave
3.1 mi
Turn left onto Superior Dr
0.2 mi
Turn rightDestination will be on the right
184 ft
701 Superior Drive, Munster, IN 46321, USA

PINNACLE HOSPITALl

9301 CONNECTICUT DR CROWN POINT IN 46307

7284 W Lincoln Hwy, Crown Point, IN 46307, USA
Head west toward E U.S. Highway 30
482 ft
Turn right onto E U.S. Highway 30
0.3 mi
Make a U-turn at Cline AveContinue to follow US-30 E
3.6 mi
Turn right onto IN-55 S/Taft St
1.5 mi
Turn left onto W 93rd Ave
1.8 mi
Turn right at Connecticut Dr
223 ft
Turn leftDestination will be on the right
394 ft
9301 Connecticut Dr, Crown Point, IN 46307, USA