As an athlete himself, Dr. Alejandro Miranda was drawn to orthopaedics because it allows him to help others while also practicing and progressing in a continuously evolving field of medicine. 

“It lets me use a manual skill to allow people to continue to live a life in motion and to pursue their own dreams,” he said. “Orthopaedics is a way to help others live a fulfilling life.”

Dr. Miranda joined Steamboat Orthopaedic & Spine Institute in 2018 after two prestigious orthopaedic fellowships and a nearly lifelong goal of becoming a ski town doctor. He realized in high school that he wasn’t getting the progression he sought in snowboarding and thought, “If I can’t be a professional snowboarder, I want to take care of them.”

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Sub-specialty training: foot and ankle, sports medicine 

In orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital, a Level-1 Trauma Center, Dr. Miranda developed the skill and aptitude for treating fractures and orthopaedic trauma. Later, a fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania under prior president of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Dr. Keith Wapner, further honed Dr. Miranda’s subspecialty training. 

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“I did my foot and ankle fellowship because that was an area that was relatively untouched and much in need of specialists. In particular, foot and ankle lets you take care of a spectrum of problems that affect all age groups and all patient populations, from children to working people to elite athletes,” he said. “You can greatly influence a person’s life. Whether it’s a patient with a complication from diabetes mellitus or a patient with ankle arthritis considering ankle replacement, both are looking to preserve their quality of life.” 

Treating athletes

Dr. Miranda didn’t want to become so subspecialized that he lost sight of treating a broader spectrum of orthopaedic injuries, so he chose to do a second fellowship in sports medicine and become a more well-rounded physician. Furthermore, this positioned him to work with developing and elite level athletes on a personal level and assist with their own progression. 

“In sports medicine, you learn how to manage the athlete and pay attention to the athlete’s needs, which includes expertise in upper and lower extremity injuries, use of evolving techniques, and providing minimally invasive and arthroscopic-type surgeries.” 

Dr. Miranda took care of several professional sports teams throughout his training, and has since helped the U.S. Snowboardcross Team during international competition as a team physician. He is now humbled to serve as medical director for the local high school sports UC Health Athletic Training Program.

“I’m super happy and honored to have the opportunity to help with youth athletics in Steamboat, to serve as their medical director, help with injury prevention and allow them to foster their love for sports,” Dr. Miranda said. 

Connecting with patients

It’s essential for Dr. Miranda to treat each patient as an independent person who has their own lifestyle demands. Each patient needs a customized treatment plan tailored to their specific needs. 

“With that in mind, I really enjoy trying to connect on a personal level with my patients so I can better guide them toward treatment that’s right for them,” he said. 

He understands the unique demands and goals that so many of his active patients in Steamboat face. He especially enjoys the wide range of patients he gets to treat in Steamboat.

Growing up in an Argentinian household and being fluent in Spanish has also well positioned Dr. Miranda to take care of the international clientele that visits Steamboat.