Precision Orthopaedic Specialties is a team of talented physicians working together to keep Northeast Ohioans healthy and active

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A sudden injury or chronic joint pain doesn’t have to put you on the sidelines. The leading-edge treatments at Precision Orthopaedic Specialties include lubricant injections, physical therapy, natural joint supplements, strength training, and minimally invasive surgeries.

By Mitch Allen

The human body is an amazing machine, a vastly complex electromechanical system that delivers nutrients to an intricate cellular network, generating everything from locomotion to consciousness. And all of it is supported by a skeletal structure of bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, etc. that literally keeps us from collapsing to the ground in a protoplasmic heap.

But unlike the simple, wooden and steel frames that support the buildings we see all around us, our internal frame—our skeleton—can move thanks to our joints, allowing us to go for walks, throw a baseball, bend over and pet a dog, all tasks we take for granted.

Until something goes wrong.

Whether it’s a sudden traumatic injury during an athletic performance or the slow progression of arthritis, one day we will all eventually find ourselves in an exam room staring at an x-ray with a doctor who we must trust to help stop our pain and return to us our cherished mobility. Because once we stop being active—once we become too comfortable on the couch—we open ourselves up to many serious conditions related to a sedentary lifestyle, including weight gain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and more.

Here in Northeast Ohio, there is an entire team of talented physicians working together to keep us all healthy and active. It’s the highly-rated, technologically-advanced practice known as Precision Orthopaedic Specialties, which has offices in Chardon, Auburn, Middlefield, and now Beachwood.


The practice specializes in joint replacement surgery and sports medicine, and even features its own “Concussion Institute,” which helps athletes get back on the playing field only when it’s appropriate. And unlike many orthopaedic practices that too easily jump to surgery as the first and best option, this team works to keep you out of the operating room.

“Our surgeons will exhaust all other opportunities before surgery,” explains Dr. Michael J. Kellis, who specializes in non-surgical treatment of orthopaedic conditions and serves as the team physician for local high schools.

“We offer an entire range of treatments—including hyaluronic acid (HA) lubricant injections, physical therapy, natural joint supplements and strength training—but sometimes surgery is indeed the best option.”


A High-Tech Team Approach
Founded in 1991, Precision was the first fully specialized independent orthopaedic practice in Geauga County. It began when spine and joint surgeon Dr. George Kellis ventured from Cleveland’s east side to Chardon to join his brother, Dr. Michael Kellis, who was practicing sports medicine.

Today, the team includes orthopaedic surgeons, physical therapists, a podiatrist/foot and ankle surgeon, and even a chiropractor, offering an entire spectrum of treatments and technologies for orthopaedic conditions of the spine and joints, including leading-edge joint replacement surgery (knee, hip, shoulder and ankle); physical therapy and other non-surgical treatment options, along with advanced imaging services, like ultrasound, digital x-rays and a state-of-the-art MRI facility.

But perhaps the practice’s most strategic advantage is how these gifted surgeons put their egos aside and work together to get better results for patients.

“For example, we have our own physical therapists who have direct access to our physicians,” says Dr. Gregory Sarkisian, the president of Precision Orthopaedic Specialties.

“At any time, they can walk down the hall and ask a doctor to join them with a patient. There is no delay in time. You don’t have to make another appointment somewhere else. You don’t have to drive across town. We do it all.”

The team of board-certified physicians (and a few of their many areas of expertise) includes:

  • Gregory C. Sarkisian, D.O. (sports medicine and orthopaedic surgery)
  • Laszlo S. Harmat, D.O. (shoulder, elbow and hand specialist)
  • Albert S. M. Dunn, D.O. (complex surgeries, including multi-ligament reconstructions)
  • Michael J. Kellis, D.O. (sports medicine, non-operative treatment of orthopaedic conditions)
  • George J. Kellis, M.D. (spine surgery, joint replacement surgery)
  • Kraig K. Solak, D.O. (sports medicine specialist and orthopaedic surgeon)
  • Mark J. Mendeszoon, D.P.M. (surgical orthopaedic podiatrist, diabetic limb salvage)
  • Jamie DelVecchio, D.O. (non-operative orthopaedic sports medicine, general medicine)
  • Brian Filisky, D.C. (chiropractic medicine, athletic/sports injuries)

Outpatient Joint Replacement
Precision Orthopaedic Specialties offers same-day surgery for joint replacements. That means you can have a knee or hip replaced and go home the same day.

“Some of the outcomes we are seeing these days are remarkable,” says practice director Christopher Herald.

“If a patient is healthy and motivated, they can have joint replacement surgery and be walking within three hours and be home that evening. It’s the result of advancements in technology, the talent of our surgeons, and the body’s remarkable ability to heal itself…with a little help.”


When Is It Time To Call?
If you or a loved one experiences a sudden injury, it’s a good idea to contact Precision Orthopaedic Specialties immediately. But what if your pain has come on slowly? How do you know when it’s time?

“Joint pain can develop so gradually that we can forget what it was like to feel good and be pain-free,” says Dr. Sarkisian.

“We just think we’re getting old, but that’s far from the truth. If you’re experiencing joint pain or swelling, pain walking, or going up or down stairs, it isn’t normal. If your joints are creaking or you can feel the bones rubbing together or you feel stiffness, knee pain or a decreased range of motion, it doesn’t have to be that way. Even if the pain comes and goes, you don’t necessarily have to suffer. We can almost always help.”

In addition, if joint pain or stiffness is preventing you from being active, that alone can cause many serious conditions related to a sedentary lifestyle. Not being active can create a snowball effect that drastically reduces your quality of life.

Yes, the human body is indeed an amazing thing, but it works much better when it keeps moving.

Precision Orthopaedic Specialties now has four locations—in Chardon at 150 7th Avenue, Suite 200 (440-285-4999); the Auburn office at 11800 E. Washington St. in Chagrin Falls (440-543-2097); in Middlefield at 15389 West High Street (440-632-0279); and now in Beachwood at the Lake Health Beachwood Medical Center, 25501 Chagrin Blvd, Suite 200.

To schedule an appointment, call any the offices or visit PrecisionOrthopaedic.com to schedule your appointment online.