Edward Lipp is a board certified orthopedic surgeon with subspecialty certification in the hand and upper extremity. He has a special expertise in complex reconstructive procedures of the hand and upper limb plus pediatric hand problems.

Doctor Lipp graduated with honors from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He received first prizes in Orthopedics and Neurology. He then completed his residency at Lankenau Hospital and Tripler Medical Center. Doctor Lipp received his fellowship training from Doctor Raymond Curtis at Johns Hopkins and Walter Reed Medical Centers. Doctor Curtis was an internationally recognized hand surgeon. Doctor Lipp spent ten years as a surgeon during the Vietnam War, reconstructing severe hand and upper limb injuries. These U.S. soldiers had sustained segmental injuries of the nerves, tendons and bones. In a civilian situation, the nerve tendon and bone injuries usually involve a single level. A direct end to end connection can repair them. In war wounds the injuries tend to involve a loss of a segment of the nerve, tendon or bone. Repairing these requires taking pieces of similar tissue from other parts of the body to reconstruct the limb. Segmental nerve losses can require nerve graft.

Doctor Lipp has performed over 200 nerve grafts in the forearm and hand. Segmental bone losses in the hand and forearm are usually replaced with iliac bone grafts. Segmental tendon losses may be repaired with grafts or more commonly with tendon transfers. Doctor Lipp has performed thousands of tendon transfers in the past thirty years.

After leaving the military, Doctor Lipp spent 20 years as Chief of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at the Hawaii Shriners' Hospital. Patients were treated from all over the Pacific Basin, Southeast Asia and Afghanistan. They were treated for a variety of orthopedic hand and upper limb conditions. In addition, he had a very active private practice.

Dr. Lipp's current area of interest involves nerve entrapment disorders. He has an ongoing study of carpal tunnel syndrome. In review of over 1,000 cases, it is apparent that some patients wait too long to have the surgery. They think about the carpal tunnel condition in the same way they do about arthritis of the knee. The problem is that although one can have a knee joint replacement, there is no replacement for the median nerve. Once the nerve is severly damaged in carpal tunnel syndrome, the result following surgery will be less than normal. When an individual has persistent pain and numbness in the hand, it is important to have it evaluated and not just ignore it.

Doctor Lipp is practicing in the Vancouver, Washington area. He is a member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the International Hand Society, The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons and the International Federation of Surgical Colleges.