Kevin W. Lanighan, M.D.

Specialty: Surgery of the Hand and Upper Extremity 

Born and raised locally, Dr. Kevin W. Lanighan, M.D. is pleased to be practicing in WNY.  He is an orthopedic surgeon with specialized training in the care of the arm and hand.  He bascially takes care of problems from the fingertip to the shoulder.

Attending high school in Lockport and college at Niagara University, he completed his medical school education at Johns Hopkins University.  Dr. Lanighan served in the US Navy as a medical officer and specializes in the care of the hand and upper extremity.

Dr. Lanighan graduated from Lockport High School and was a competitive runner in his day.  He was named first team ”All New York State” in cross country and at that time was the top miler in WNY.  Paying for his college education at Niagara University through an athletic scholarship for cross country and track, he set a school record in the 800 meters and was the Upstate Collegiate Champion in that event, setting a meet and track record at one point.

Medical school at Johns Hopkins was financed through a Navy Scholarship program, and after receiving his medical degree, he served 5 years active duty as a medical officer including ship’s doctor aboard the USS Guadalcanal LPH-7, a helicopter carrier, while deployed with the US Marines.  During his time at sea he cared for US troops as well as foreign civilian and military personnel, including a downed Iraqi pilot on one occasion and many wounded members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on another.

After his military service, he completed the prestigious Curtis hand surgery fellowship program at the National Center for Surgery of the Hand and Upper Extremity in Baltimore, Maryland.  Dr. Lanighan returned to his native WNY in 1996 with his wife Kelly and their three children to establish hand surgery services at Northtowns Orthopedics.  Outside of orthopedics Dr. Lanighan enjoys hiking and the outdoors and is an “Adirondack 46′er”, having reached the summit of the 46 New York State high peaks over 4000 feet.  He has hiked portions of the Appalachian Trail and The Presidential Range in New Hampshire as well as Mt. Hood in Oregon.  He enjoys skiing and snow-shoeing, but especially enjoys winter hiking and is close to becoming a “Winter 46′er”.  Dr. Lanighan still runs or bikes just about daily (although much slower!) and participates in many local road races including the Buffalo Marathon and Half Marathon in addition to the annual Turkey Trot.  He was “in the crowd” in the photo of the race on the front page of the Buffalo News this year!  He even won his age group at the Grand Island Summer Sizzler Series Triathlon last summer.

Dr. Lanighan finds caring for people with hand and arm problems challenging and rewarding.  The “hand team” at Northtowns also includes two physician’s assistants, Lori Gmerek, RPA-C, and Beth Gillezeau, RPA-C, and most recently the addition of orthopedic surgeon and hand specialist Dr. David Ratliff.

Sub-speciality Interests:

Compression neuropathies of the upper extremity including carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar neuropathy, endoscopic carpal tunnel release, sports injuries of the hand and wrist, thumb arthritis, trigger fingers, wrist fractures, hand fractures, tendon and nerve problems, work related disorders of the arm and hand.

Education:

• Niagara University  – Lewiston, NY – Summa Cum Laude – B.S.
• Johns Hopkins Medical School – M.D.

Residency:

• Internship in General Surgery – Bethesda Naval Hospital – Bethesda, Maryland
• Orthopedic Surgery Residency – Johns Hopkins Hospital  – Baltimore, Maryland – 1989-1993

Fellowship:

• Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Fellowship  –  Raymond Curtis Hand Center at Union Memorial Hospital – Baltimore, Maryland – 1995-1996

Military:

• Active duty US Navy 1986-1989 – Medical officer at Bethesda Naval Hospital and ship doctor USS Guadalcanal with deployments to Persian Gulf and Mediterranean.  Served as Medical Department Head.
• Active duty US Navy 1993-1995 – Staff Orthopaedic surgeon Charleston Naval Hospital.
• Completed service US Navy as LCDR 1995, awarded two sea service ribbons and the Navy Commendation Medal.

Professional Organization Membership:

• Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
• New York State Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Interests:

• Dr. Lanighan maintains a busy hand and upper extremity surgery practice and cares for many different problems involving the hand and arm.  From rotator cuff disease to finger problems, Dr. Lanighan and his team have 15 years of experience caring for a variety of disorders of the upper extremity.  He has taken care of many athletes; amateur, professional, young and old.

License:

• New York State.

Board Certification:

• Board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons with Certificate of Added Qualification in Surgery of the Hand.