Ever since she was in the second grade, Dr. Christina Sheely knew she wanted to become a doctor. But it wasn’t until a high-school athletic injury required surgery that she became enlightened in the field of orthopedics.

“I was hooked after that,” Sheely beams.

Born in Chicago and raised in Virginia, Sheely moved with her family to Hays County when she was 12. Graduating from medical school at the University of North Texas and completing her residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, she eventually opened her own private practice in Michigan in 2004.

Today, she’s one of a handful of female orthopedists in Central Texas and one of four managing partners at Southwest Orthopedic Group, along with Drs. Mannish Patel, Brian Sullivan and Michael Albrecht. The group’s main offices are in Austin and Kyle, with four satellite offices in Bastrop, Round Rock, Marble Falls and San Marcos.

Since opening the vibrant practice in June 2009, Sheely has become a standout for her use of stem cells in growing cartilage to heal a variety of orthopedic conditions such as arthritis and fractures.

According to Sheely, the procedure has only been done a few years in the United States, but has an extremely high rate of success with patients, making it a popular alternative to invasive surgery.

“Adult stem cells are drawn off the patient’s hip during surgery and spun down in a centrifuge to get the highest concentration possible. Then we inject them into the area where we need bone or cartilage growth,” she explains.

Although the volatile economy has affected the industry as a whole (patients are putting off surgery for financial reasons or because they are afraid to take extended time off from work), Sheely says her practice has combated that disadvantage by staying on the cutting edge of new procedures and products.

“I love the instant gratification of making people feel better,” she says. “Most people get better, and are very happy and satisfied with their results. I hurt people (for good reason), and they thank me!”

Her patients sing her praises, as well. Donn Brooks, a 72-year-old history professor at Austin Community College, woke up one morning in 2009 and couldn’t get out of bed. Cartilage had separated from his knee, and he saw Sheely for a surgical procedure to correct the problem.

“Shortly after that, Dr. Sheely saw my wife for a hip replacement and my daughter for back problems,” he says. “She’s someone you can develop a good personal relationship with, and you can’t say that very often these days.”

Brooks, who was also Sheely’s eighth-grade history teacher at her middle school in Hays County, adds that the professionalism doesn’t end with Sheely, but extends to all office personnel, as well.

Sheely admits she must strike a delicate balance in her life between her professional life as a manager for a bustling orthopedic practice and her hectic personal life as a wife and mother of five children. She and her husband, George, have children ranging in age from 2 to 23 years old. Four of their children are adopted, and three years ago, the Sheelys became grandparents. Her eldest was a patient of hers in foster care who touched her heart; she and her husband adopted the girl when she was 16.

“It’s true; I stay extremely busy,” she laughs. “It’s a hard balance, but I have a wonderful husband [who] understands the demands of my career. I think motherhood sets me apart from other orthopedic surgeons, as well, due to my female nurturing traits.” But she also understands what it means to be a patient. An avid marathon runner, Sheely had her left hip replaced in August of last year, but remains active by weightlifting and cycling.

“I’m still very athletic and love to work out in between everything else in my life,” she says. “But becoming a patient myself made me realize you have to respect a patient’s injury no matter how small you may think it is. To that person, it may be the biggest thing that has happened to them, so you must respect that.”

To learn more about Southwest Orthopedic Group, visit the website at www.sworthogroup.com or call 512-451-1969.