Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine opened its 25th Cincinnati-area office and its third in Northern Kentucky at 775 Alexandria Pike in Fort Thomas.
It is near the entrance to the Highland County Club in a building developed by Ashley Development Group.
“Northern Kentucky continues to be a major focus at Beacon, and the opening of the Fort Thomas location is another example of that commitment to the region,” Beacon CEO Andy Blankemeyer said. “Even though Northern Kentucky is a vibrant and growing area, it is an underserved market where patients will benefit from more competition and increased accessibility to high quality, low-cost comprehensive orthopaedic care. So as Northern Kentucky continues to grow, Beacon plans to grow right along with it.”
Beacon also has Northern Kentucky locations at 600 Rodeo Drive in Erlanger and 2900 Chancellor Drive (Building 40) in Crestview Hills.Â
At the new office, Beacon patients will have access to services that include comprehensive orthopedic care, including orthopaedic urgent care, sports medicine, pain management, physical therapy, athletic training, imaging services, regenerative medicine and surgeries at three dedicated surgery centers.
Robert Pettit, M.D., a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports-related injuries, will lead Beacon’s Fort Thomas location.Â
Dr. Pettit completed his undergraduate degree in Biology at The Ohio State University, his medical degree at the University of Cincinnati and Orthopaedic residency at The OSU Wexner Medical Center. He completed his fellowship training in Sports Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at Beth Israel New England Baptist Hospital, which is affiliated with Harvard and Tufts academic programs.
Dr. Pettit trained with leaders in the fields of ACL reconstruction, cartilage restoration, meniscal allograft transplantation, knee osteotomies, mako robotic knee arthroplasty, arthroscopic shoulder surgery, and shoulder arthroplasty. He has a special interest in knee and shoulder preservation utilizing techniques to prolong joint health and delay or avoid joint replacement in young active patients. For patients that could benefit from joint replacement, he is certified in Mako robotic-assisted knee and partial knee replacements.
Pettit has also served as an assistant team physician for The Boston Celtics.
“My whole goal as a physician is to help my patients get back to the activity that they love to do,” Dr. Pettit said. “I have been seeing patients in Northern Kentucky at Beacon’s Erlanger and Crestview Hills locations. We have noticed that many patients have been traveling from the Fort Thomas, Southgate area, as well as from throughout Campbell County. So, we recognized a need in those communities. We are thrilled to open and can treat patients with shoulder, elbow, hand, upper extremity, hip, knee, back and ankle problems.”
Joining Dr. Pettit at the Fort Thomas location are Justin Kruer, M.D., and Michael Wigton, M.D.
Dr. Kruer attended The University of Notre Dame for his undergraduate studies and completed medical school at the University of Louisville. He completed an internal medicine residency at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz. After Phoenix, he went on to complete an anesthesia residency at the University of Kentucky before becoming a pain medicine fellow at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. in 2007.
Dr. Kruer is an anesthesiologist and a fellowship-trained pain management physician with over a decade of experience. Dr. Kruer served as a Beacon Orthopaedics’ physician from 2013 to 2019 and returned in 2022 after working at Missoula Bone & Joint in Missoula, Mont.
Dr. Wigton is board-certified, fellowship-trained and sub-specialized to treat hand and wrist or upper extremity injuries. Dr. Wigton received his undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton before completing his medical degree at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
After medical school, Dr. Wigton moved away from the Tri-State to complete his internship and residency at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. Upon completion of his residency, Dr. Wigton completed a Hand, Upper Extremity, and Microvascular Surgery Fellowship at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine is Ohio’s largest orthopaedic practice, operating since 1996. Beacon Orthopaedics provides medical direction and coverage for over 30 local high schools, five college athletics programs and professional teams including the Cincinnati Reds.
