Dr. Charlie Secretan specializes in primary hip and knee arthroplasty, revision arthroplasty, and complex trauma involving the upper and lower extremities. He pioneered the use of the Direct Superior Approach for hip replacement in British Columbia. This muscle sparing hip approach allows rapid recovery and decreased perioperative pain compared to conventional hip surgery. He performs both unicompartmental and total knee arthroplasties utilizing modern cementless components, allowing biologic integration of the prostheses. He works as an educational consultant for Stryker, DePuy/Johnson and Johnson and Zimmer/Biomet, teaching fellow surgeons operative procedures, helping them to optimize their surgical technique. Additionally, he has a special interest in sports knee injuries and performs arthroscopic knee procedures including ACL reconstruction.
Charlie was born and raised in a small farming community in Southern Alberta. Early in life he worked as a bicycle mechanic, farm hand and in commercial construction. He started his university education in Lethbridge studying biochemistry and ran a laboratory studying molecular cloning to fund his education. He then transitioned to the study of medicine at the University of Alberta and received his Doctor of Medicine in 2003, graduating with honors. Following this, he was accepted to the orthopedic residency program at the U of A and during this time also completed a PhD focused on stem cell therapy and tissue regeneration, completing both programs in 2011.
Charlie came to Vernon in 2011 to work temporarily, with plans to continue on to New Zealand, and never left. He quickly realized that the combination of outdoor pursuits and the sense of community provided the perfect place to raise his family. When not at work Charlie enjoys cycling (including mountain, road, gravel, touring and bikepacking), skiing on the resort and in the backcountry, backpacking, rock climbing, hiking, camping and some occasional fly fishing.