John K. Krebs, MD

Fellowship training: Hand surgery
Specialties: Hand and upper extremity surgery, total joint replacement, sports medicine

Dr. John Krebs is a fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopedic and hand surgeon specializing in hand and upper extremity surgery, total joint replacement and sports medicine. He has practiced at the Center for Orthopedics since 1994.

His hand fellowship gave Dr. Krebs advanced training that enables him to treat many complex hand conditions. “I deal with a lot of different problems—anywhere from carpal tunnel syndrome to arthritic conditions of the hand and replacement of the finger joints,” Dr. Krebs explains.

“I do total wrist replacement surgery and take care of complex fractures of the wrist and of the bones that involve the wrist. I also treat Dupuytrens contracture, a condition where the fingers become flexed down into the palm of the hand; this usually occurs in older patients.”

Dr. Krebs is one of the few orthopedic surgeons in Ohio who perform total elbow replacement surgery. “Elbow replacement can relieve an arthritis patient's pain and restore a normal range of motion,” he explains. “After elbow replacement, patients can lift, they can use their arms, but we usually restrict them to lifting less than 10 pounds.”

He is board-certified in orthopedic surgery, and is certified with added qualifications (CAQ) in hand surgery by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Another of Dr. Krebs' specialties is sports medicine. He has served as team physician for the Elyria (Ohio) High School varsity football, wrestling, basketball and baseball teams since 1994. Dr. Krebs was previously the team physician for the Strongsville (Ohio) High School varsity football team, the Brooklyn (Ohio) high school varsity football team and the Bay High School varsity hockey team in Bay Village, Ohio. He has also served as physician in attendance for the Medina (Ohio) High School wrestling tournament and the Cleveland Ballet.

Dr. Krebs completed a Cleveland Combined Hand Fellowship at the University Hospitals of Cleveland and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He served his orthopedic surgery residency and general surgery internship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Krebs holds a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.

He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the American Medical Association, the Ohio Orthopedic Society, the Ohio State Medical Association, the Cleveland Orthopedic Club and the Cleveland Academy of Medicine.

In his leisure time, Dr. Krebs enjoys golf, water and snow skiing, as well as wind surfing.

Meet Dr. Krebs' patient care team

Dr. Krebs' patient care team includes his physician assistant, Maria Shedlock, his medical assistant, Arnika Smith and his secretary, Laura Lenio.

“My physician assistant, Maria Shedlock, is pretty much with me all the time,” Dr. Krebs explains. “She sees patients in the clinic, takes care of patients' problems, handles phone calls, does medical rounds with me and assists me in surgery.”

“I have been an orthopedic physician's assistant since 1993,” says Maria. “I enjoy working with patients, Dr. Krebs and the rest of the team.”

“My medical assistant, Arnika, is a very caring individual who shows great empathy toward patient needs,” says Dr. Krebs.

“I completed my externship at the Center for Orthopedics and was then hired as Dr. Krebs' medical assistant,” says Arnika. “I enjoy working with the team and assisting our patients.”

“My secretary, Laura Lenio, started out as my medical assistant,” says Dr. Krebs. She has worked with me since 1994, and has been a major part of my practice.”

“I joined Dr. Krebs' CFO team as a medical assistant in 1998 and am now his secretary,” Laura explains. “I love helping our patients and will do anything I can to make your experience with us a positive one.”