Michael T. Bollinger, MD

Raised in the East Bay, Michael Bollinger completed his undergraduate degree at Occidental College in Los Angeles. He then served as a paramedic/EMT in San Francisco for several years, before entering the University of Southern California medical program. After graduating from medical school in 1996, Dr. Bollinger completed his internship and residency at USC Medical Center. In 2002, Dr. Bollinger completed the prestigious Boyes Hand Surgery Fellowship, where he trained with notable orthopaedic surgeons, Dr. John Itamura, Dr. Melon Stivanovic and Dr. James Tiboni. While in fellowship, Dr. Bollinger learned techniques used in plastic surgery designed to reduce trauma to a patient’s soft tissue (a leading cause of post-surgical infection). This meticulous approach to his work, emphasizing quality over quantity, is a fundamental part of Dr. Bollinger’s surgical philosophy.

Early on, Dr. Bollinger also embraced innovative minimally-invasive procedures, such as anterior approach hip replacement and hip arthroscopy, that are designed to reduce recovery time and accelerate a patient’s ability to move post-surgery. Dr. Bollinger is an expert in both procedures and attributes this, along with his soft-tissue technique and post-operative protocols, to his patients’ high rate of success. To date, his incidence of post-surgery blood clots and Deep Vein Thrombosis rate is well below the national and regional average. Infection rates among his patients are also extremely low.

Dr. Bollinger specializes in upper extremities (including shoulders, elbows, arms, wrists, and hands), joint replacement (of the hip, knee, and shoulder) and sports medicine. Rather than sub-specializing on one specific area, he understands that musculoskeletal systems interact with one another – that problems in the shoulder can affect a patient’s hand, and problems in the shoulder and hand can affect a patient’s hip. This understanding helps him treat the whole patient, rather than just focusing on a specific body part.

Dr. Bollinger is Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery. He is also a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, and the Southern California Graduate Orthopaedic Society. He is affiliated with Palm Drive Hospital and Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa.

Dr. Bollinger and his wife live in Sebastopol with their four children. When not working, he enjoys skiing, ice hockey, mountain biking and cycling.