Dr. Grothaus: Specialized Orthopaedic Care Close to Home

Matthew Grothaus, MD, is an orthopaedic surgeon at ProMedica Physicians Defiance Orthopaedic Center. Dr. Grothaus feels lucky to be able to provide specialized orthopaedic care to patients in his community of Defiance, Ohio. 

Dr. Grothaus is passionate about providing patient-centered care based on open communication, compassion and respect. Every day he performs his best work so his patients can live their best lives.

When did you know you wanted to go into medicine?

As a child I had multiple orthopaedic injuries and surgeries. My physician’s knowledge of anatomy and his ability to “fix” me was intriguing and led me to want to know more.

What drew you to orthopaedic surgery?

Orthopaedics is a true mix of science, physics, movement and clinical symptoms; and it affects all walks of life. Many of the conditions we see are also chronic, lifelong conditions, which allows me to get to know patients and their families well. The relationships built with many of my patients continue throughout their life’s journey. In addition to the relationships made, having been a multi-sport athlete in high school and college was a natural draw toward orthopaedics to better learn and improve my own mechanics and endurance.

What part of your job motivates you most to come to work every day?

I often take care of debilitating or physical limitations in patients. When I can make a difference in a patient’s quality of life by treating their injury, pain or disease, it’s incredibly rewarding to see their progress and improvements.

What occupational accomplishment are you most proud of?

I am most proud of graduating from a Hand and Upper Extremity Fellowship at The Indiana Hand Center. As a fellow, I trained and worked with experts in the field who not only taught me about cutting-edge upper extremity care but also care of the orthopaedic patient and the research to guide my practice, which is so important for our specialty.

In what ways do your personal and professional lives collide?

My wife and family are used to my crazy and long work hours and always being on call, whether I am on vacation or not. My family is very understanding of what I do, but I try hard not to let work interrupt family time as much as possible. Striving for balance is a work in progress for me and something I attempt to work toward. My hobby of woodworking also helps me achieve some sense of peace and accomplishment.

Why did you choose ProMedica as your place of work?

ProMedica Physicians Orthopaedics is a large, well-established group with an excellent reputation in the community we serve. I was lucky enough to be able to join this group and to work near my home. I have served rural populations since graduating fellowship, and working at ProMedica Defiance Regional Hospital allows me to work in a collaborative environment with great resources.

ProMedica continues to support the growth and expansion of orthopaedics as needed in rural areas and is dedicated to increasing the number of services available to our patients here in northwest Ohio. I feel blessed to work with such an organization.

What makes ProMedica unique when it comes to orthopaedic care?

ProMedica provides cutting-edge expertise and medical care close to where people live. We have a vast list of excellent providers who have trained at very prestigious universities and who choose to practice at ProMedica. I appreciate being able to pick up the phone and collaborate with our experts if needed. ProMedica has specialists from all major areas that are available close to home.

Access is important for our rural patients, as it often is not feasible for them to travel to sites further away for care. At ProMedica, we are providing patients with many of the same resources as the big medical centers but closer to home.

Matthew Grothaus, MD
Dr. Grothaus is an orthopaedic surgeon with ProMedica Physicians. View his profile.