Written by Bloom Magazine
Matthew Widner, MD is a Fellowship-Trained & Board Eligible Orthopaedic Surgeon at Orthopaedic Center of South Florida
Meet Matthew Widner, MD, a fellowship-trained and board-eligible orthopedic surgeon who is the latest addition to the Orthopaedic Center of South Florida (OCSF), a leading orthopedic group specializing in workers' compensation that was named the best doctors in workers' compensation in 2022. In our interview with Dr. Widner, he shared his philosophy of using his subspecialty sports medicine training to help him manage injured workers, with the goal of getting them back to work and their normal lives as quickly and safely as possible. "This approach is similar to the way athletes are treated, with the goal of getting them back to playing their sport as soon as possible. By utilizing this philosophy, my team and I at OCSF are able to provide excellent care to injured workers while helping them to return to their jobs and daily activities as soon as possible," says Dr. Widner.
What is your Speciality?
Orthopaedics, subspecialty in Sports Medicine
What would you say is the most unique part of your specialty?
Orthopaedics is unique because patients typically present with an issue significantly affecting their lives. I usually have a solution that not only relieves their pain but also gets them back to doing what they want to do.
How many years have you been practicing?
1 year.
Tell us something interesting about yourself most people don’t know.
I love to play golf and would play every day if I could.
What is your “why?” What inspires you every day to do more/better?
Excellent patient care. I treat every patient like they are my mother, brother, dad, and son, I imagine how I would want my loved one to be treated and try to do my best for every patient to provide the utmost excellence in patient care.
Take us back to when you first began in medicine what was it like for you?
Both terrifying and exciting. It is truly a privilege to take care of a patient. It takes a lot of sacrifices and can be very stressful at times, but it is also exciting and rewarding to be able to help a patient in their biggest time of need.
What is your favorite thing to do when you are not working?
Spend time with family and play golf.
What is the most challenging part about your job?
Not every situation in medicine is black and white. There are certainly a lot of grays. Some problems have no great solutions, and some have multiple solutions. Sometimes it takes knowledge, experience, and instinct to come up with a good solution that is the best for the patient.
What does an average day look like for you?
Some days I see patients in the office, and some days, I am in the OR.
What is your philosophy when treating injured workers?
I use my subspecialty sports medicine training to help me manage injured workers. With athletes, the goal is to get them back to playing their sport as quickly and as safely as possible. This is the same concept for treating injured workers; get them back to work and live their lives as quickly and safely as possible.
What is the best way to reach you and your staff?
Phone: 954-473-6344
Email: workcomp@ocsfdocs.com
