Carissa Tripi, DO
Carissa Tripi, D.O., joined San Luis Valley Health in 2012. "One of the things that excites me about being able to care for this community is Adams State University," she said, adding that she feels privileged to work with the PRO Therapy team who take care of ASU athletes. "I am happy that I am able to add to that program that is offering athletes top-notch orthopedic care, right when they need it, and getting them back to their sport and what they love to do."
As a young athlete, Dr. Tripi said she was often on the receiving end of orthopedic care. "I know what it is like to have an injury that either slows you down or takes you out of your sport and how devastating that can be," she said. "That is really what fueled me to go into the sports medicine aspect of orthopedics."
Following high school in Montrose, Colorado, Dr. Tripi earned her undergraduate degree in Boulder, then she attended medical school in Kansas City, Missouri, and did her orthopedic residency in Cleveland, Ohio. She completed her sports medicine fellowship at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. She was glad to finally return to Colorado and the active lifestyle enjoyed by many of its residents.
Enthused about her career in orthopedics, Dr. Tripi says she especially likes how sports medicine has evolved to now focus more on joint preservation procedures and treatments. "In the past, we used to have to look at you and say, 'you have some arthritis and we just have to wait until it gets bad enough that you need your joint replaced.' Now, there are so many new things on the horizon that an orthopedic surgeon trained in Sports Medicine can offer that really work on preserving or improving what you have so that we're not destining you to a total joint replacement—a new knee or a new hip—at a young age."
Provider Comment
"I thoroughly enjoyed my appointment with Dr. Tripi. Everything was explained in detail and the meeting was very relaxed. All the other employees I interacted with were courteous, professional, and each step was done in a timely manner." -Patient of Dr. Tripi