Meet ORA Orthopedics Hand Surgeon: Dr. Tobias Mann
Whether they’re hitting the slopes or lending a hand the kitchen, the Mann family loves to spend time with one another. Dr. Mann shares the joys of fatherhood, his signature dad saying, and his wish for his two children.
Years in Practice: 6 years
Specialty: Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery
Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
Signature Dad saying or joke:
Belting out “Pappa always wins!” whenever I do.
What’s the most fun activity to do with your family?
We love skiing, hiking, and camping, with skiing probably being the most fun of the three. We also love to bake! Our favorite thing to bake is bread. It’s fun to spend time together in the kitchen.
Can you share a special family memory?
Watching my son, Liam, (10) and daughter, Emma, (7) ski a double black diamond.
What’s one of the most rewarding parts of being a father?
There are so many rewards and challenges to being a parent that it is hard to rank something like the “most rewarding.” That said, it’s pretty special to see their excitement when they succeed at something they did not realize they could do.
As your children grow older, what is your wish for their future?
I wish that my children grow up to be healthy, grounded, and responsible members of society. That they learn the value of failing, learn from mistakes made, and learn to pick themselves up after they fall.
I wish them to meet challenges that will enable them to grow and develop, and that they never lose their curiosity and eagerness to explore. That they approach new people and new situations with an open mind. I want for them to live interesting lives and to find meaning and purpose in what they do.
I hope that they find someone to share their life with and that they will love, and be loved in return. In short, I wish for my children to live happy fulfilling lives.
What led you to the world of orthopedic surgery?
My decision to become a physician, orthopedist, and hand surgeon was an iterative process. In my native country, military service is a requirement, and during my time in the military, I realized that I liked a challenge and working with people.
After graduation, I attended graduate school for Computer Science, which I enjoyed but soon found that I did not want to spend the rest of my working life staring at a computer screen.
After some soul searching, I eventually applied to medical school. I wanted to work with people and not be stuck behind a desk or in a laboratory. I wanted to learn more about the human body, its inner workings, how and why it fails, and, when possible, how to heal.
During medical school, I quickly learned that the logic and directness of surgery were more suited to my personality than deliberations of internal medicine. It was the best combination of stimulating work, requiring both mental and physical skills, allowing me to work with people, doing something that I enjoyed, and having a positive impact on others.
How did you select your specialty?
Having decided on a surgical career, Orthopedics naturally followed. The combination of logic, mechanics, biology, motivated and passionate co-workers, and mentors was the perfect fit for me. I entered Orthopedic residency, not having given further sub-specialization much thought.
It wasn’t until my third year in residency that I decided on Hand and Upper Extremity surgery as a sub-specialization. The wide variety of pathology that my hand surgery mentors saw and treated was fascinating.
They had an endless armamentarium of surgeries and treatments to aid them. They worked closely with the hand therapist to guide patients back to health and function.
How does hand surgery differ from other orthopedic procedures?
I learned that the hand surgeons were the only surgeons that treated everything within their chosen anatomy. Injures and pathology to bones, ligaments, tendons, muscles, skin, blood vessels and nerves in the land were all the domain of the hand surgeon. In other body parts, the bone would be treated by an orthopedist, the vessel by a vascular surgeon, the nerve by a neurosurgeon, and the skin defect by a plastic surgeon.
I watched my hand surgery mentors being able to “do it all,” and I wanted to be like them. This was the iterative process that eventually landed me at ORA as an Orthopedic Hand and Upper Extremity surgeon.
What do you like best about practicing medicine?
Restoring function and getting our patients back to doing what they love.
What inspires you most about your patients?
The resilience, adaptability, and strength that they exhibit when returning from a significant injury. The trust that they lay in us, often complete strangers to them, when they allow us to use invasive treatments to restore them back to health.
If there is one piece of advice you wish your patients would take to heart, what is it?
Go to your therapy appointments and do your therapy exercises!
