Dr. Steven Herbst, Central Indiana Orthopedics foot and ankle surgeon, is celebrating 20 years at CIO this month! Not only are we proud to have Dr. Herbst on the team because of his leadership in innovation and excellent patient service, but we are inspired by his compassionate demeanor and desire to give back to the less fortunate.
Dr. Herbst embodies CIO’s values and has been inspired by the words of CIO founding physician, Dr. Jack Walker: “No matter how down you get, or how tired you get, never ever forget it was a privilege to care for patients.” Over the past 20 years of Dr. Herbst’s career in medicine, he has taken those words to heart in his approach to patient care through innovation, education, orthopedic mission trips and his commitment to helping patients in the community get back on their feet.
Dr. Herbst has a passion for innovation and has co-designed and patented an ankle replacement implant, Zimmer Biomet Trabecular Metal™ Total Ankle. The product was developed after over 10 years of planning, and the result is an implant designed to reproduce the ankle’s natural flexibility and motion, complementing a patient’s natural anatomy. “As we enter the 10th year since the launch of the implant, I am excited to see patients doing so well,” Dr. Herbst said. “We have no plans to change this implant as it has performed at such a high level. It is gratifying to see our long-term follow-up patients return with high marks for the procedure and the implant.”
He also recently performed the first BioPoly® Great Toe surgery in the United States at our Muncie outpatient surgery center. Dr. Herbst partnered with BioPoly LLC to create an orthopedic surgical implant for great toe (big toe) surgery. “Product development has been a passion of mine for a long time,” Dr. Herbst said. “BioPoly brings engineering expertise and an innovative material to a joint in the foot that needs a better surgical answer. I am confident this implant will bring long-term relief to my patients suffering from arthritis of the big toe, and I look forward to providing that relief!”
(Laura (patient) and Dr. Herbst before surgery)
In addition to innovation, Dr. Herbst enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience with other physicians, teaching orthopedic courses nationally and internationally. He feels grateful to have had the opportunity to travel throughout the United States and Southeast Asia to share information about the latest technology and surgical techniques in foot and ankle surgery.
One of Dr. Herbst’s greatest joys comes from serving internationally in the mission field. He’s had the opportunity to take several trips to Central America to perform complex lower-extremity reconstructions, most recently to Antigua Guatemala in November 2021. “I have been blessed to have served on 14 mission trips to Central America and touch lives with surgical intervention,” Dr. Herbst said. “During our most recent trip, we had the privilege to perform surgeries that enabled people to walk who otherwise would not have the opportunity for surgery. By the end of the week, we helped 42 patients, one who hadn’t had the ability to stand in two years and another who hadn’t walked in six months. It’s incredibly humbling.”
(Dr. Herbst and one of his patients in Antigua Guatemala)
Something else we should mention about Dr. Herbst is he doesn’t shy away from a challenge. In preparation for his most recent mission trip, he and five of his friends teamed up to raise funds for their orthopedic mission trip. The incredible and crazy adventure they embarked on to raise money for the trip included swimming in a six-man relay, originally planned to cross Lake Michigan but modified due to severe weather conditions.
Dr. Herbst’s friend, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Berend, organized the team Shore2Shore. “We are a group of old dudes, husbands and friends. Some of us dads, a couple of us doctors, all of us athletes who want to band together and make an impact on the world,” Dr. Berend shared. After 60 miles and 30 hours of swimming, the Shore2Shore team conquered this amazing feat and raised over $50,000 for the mission trip.
(Dr. Steven Herbst, Chip Smith, Dan Herron, Dr. Keith Berend, Kurt Hershberger & Bryan Chapman about to launch into the Lake)
When Dr. Herbst isn’t practicing medicine, he enjoys spending time with his wife and four sons, running, cycling and swimming. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Herbst on 20 wonderful years! Learn more about Dr. Herbst at https://ciocenter.com/physicians/steven-a-herbst-md/.