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Christopher Andrej Hajnik Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon

Dr. Christopher Hajnik has practiced at CORE Orthopaedics in Encinitas since 2011. He is fellowship-trained in joint reconstructive surgery of the knee and hip. His subspecialties include primary knee and hip joint replacements and revisions, subchondroplasty, and knee surgery.  He utilizes robotic and computer-assistance for partial and total knee replacements, and he recommends and performs anterior hip replacement surgery.

Dr. Hajnik brings a uniquely personal perspective to his orthopedic practice. While at the University of Notre Dame, he captained the NCAA National Champion Fencing Team. The wear and tear from this athletic endeavor, coupled with his previous participation in youth football, baseball, basketball, soccer, wrestling, and golf has left him with early-onset knee arthritis. Despite x-rays which confirm his own candidacy for knee replacement surgery, he manages his knee arthritis with a conservative regimen consisting of low-impact exercise and occasional over-the-counter pain meds. He recommends an initial conservative, non-operative treatment plan for his patients as well.

Dr. Hajnik lives in Carlsbad with his wife, Vanessa, and their two daughters. Since 2011, he has volunteered as team physician for Carlsbad High School. He and his partners provide yearly physicals for the athletes of Carlsbad and La Costa Canyon High Schools at no charge. You can find him on the sidelines during football games. In his spare time, he enjoys watching college football, free diving, and golf.

Dr. Hajnik welcomes new patient consultations, as well as patients seeking a second medical opinion for knee and hip ailments.

Employment

  • January 2011 – Present
  • Orthopaedic Surgeon and General Partner
    CORE Orthopaedic Medical Center
    332 Santa Fe Drive
    Suite 110
    Encinitas, California 92024

  • November 2010 – December 2010
  • Locum Tenens Orthopaedic Surgeon
    LocumTenens.com
    2655 Northwinds Parkway
    Alpharetta, Georgia 30009
    (800) 930-0748
  • August 2009 – December 2010
  • Orthopaedic Surgeon
    West Florida Medical Center Clinic
    8333 North Davis Highway
    Pensacola, Florida 32514
    (850) 474-8300
  • May 1997 – August 1999
  • Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
    Hoechst Marion Roussel
    Overland Park, Kansas

Hospital Leadership Positions

  • January 2017 – January 2021
  • Co-Chairman
    Orthopaedic/Spine Service
    Scripps Memorial Hospital
    Encinitas, California
  • January 2017 – January 2021
  • Medical Executive Committee
    Hospital Credentialing Committee
    Scripps Memorial Hospital
    Encinitas, California
  • October 2011– Present
  • Orthopaedic Service Line Committee
    Scripps Health System
    San Diego, California
  • January 2011 – December 2012
  • Director
    STRIDE Comprehensive Joint Replacement Program
    Scripps Memorial Hospital
    Encinitas, California 92024

Hospital Appointments

  • January 2018 – Present
  • Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon
    Advanced Surgery Center of North County (Active Privileges)
    488 East Valley Parkway
    Escondido, California 92025
    (760) 546-4386
  • January 2011 – Present
  • Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon
    Scripps Memorial Hospital – Encinitas (Active Privileges)
    354 Santa Fe Drive
    Encinitas, California 92024
    (760) 633-6501

    Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon
    Scripps Encinitas Surgery Center (Active Privileges)
    320 Santa Fe Drive
    Encinitas, California 92024
    (760) 632-3900
  • 2015 – January 2020
  • Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon (Active Privileges)
    Tri-City Medical Center
    4002 Vista Way
    Oceanside, CA 92056
    (760) 724-8411
    Resigned in Good Standing
  • September 2013 – 2015
  • Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon
    Carlsbad Surgery Center (Active Privileges)
    6121 Paseo Del Norte
    Carlsbad, California 92011
    (760) 448-2488
    Resigned in Good Standing
  • November 2010 – December 2010
  • Locum Tenens Orthopaedic Surgeon
    North Okaloosa Medical Center (Active Privileges)
    151 East Redstone Avenue
    Crestview, Florida 32539
    (850) 689-8100
    Resigned in Good Standing
  • August 2009 – December 2010
  • Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon
    Sacred Heart Hospital (Active Privileges)
    5151 North 9th Avenue
    Pensacola, Florida 32504
    (850) 416-7000
    Resigned in Good Standing

    West Florida Medical Center Clinic (Active Privileges)
    Ambulatory Surgery Center
    8333 North Davis Highway
    Pensacola, Florida 32514
    (850) 474-8000
    Resigned in Good Standing

    West Florida Hospital (Active Privileges)
    8383 North Davis Highway
    Pensacola, Florida 32514
    (850) 494-4000
    Resigned in Good Standing
  • August 2009 – December 2010
  • Baptist Hospital (Courtesy Privileges)
    1000 West Moreno Street
    Pensacola, Florida 32501
    (850) 434-4011
    Resigned in Good Standing

    Gulf Breeze Hospital (Courtesy Privileges)
    1110 Gulf Breeze Parkway
    Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561
    (850) 934-2000
    Resigned in Good Standing
  • September 2008 – July 2009
  • Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon (Moonlighting During Fellowship)
    Elmhurst Hospital Center
    Department of Orthopaedics
    79-01 Broadway
    Elmhurst, New York 11373
    (718) 334-4000
    Resigned in Good Standing
  • January 2008 – July 2008
  • Resident Orthopaedic Surgeon (Moonlighting During Residency)
    St. Francis Hospital
    355 Ridge Avenue
    Evanston, Illinois 60202
    (847) 316-4000
    Resigned in Good Standing

Consulting

  • ExamWorks, LLC
    3280 Peachtree Road NE
    Suite 2625
    Atlanta, Georgia 30305
  • Zimmer-Biomet, Inc.
    345 East Main Street
    Warsaw, Indiana 46580
  • Medacta, USA
    6640 Carothers Parkway
    Suite 420
    Franklin, Tennessee 37067
  • Corin USA
    12750 Citrus Park Lane
    Suite 120
    Tampa, FL 33625
  • NextStep Arthropedix
    1800 Triplett Blvd
    Akron, OH 44306
  • Gerson Lehrman Group, Inc.
    301 Congress Avenue
    Suite 300
    Austin, Texas 78701
  • Guidepoint Global
    730 Third Avenue
    3rd Floor
    New York, New York 10017

Certification and Licensure

  • American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery – Board Certified (Effective July 21, 2011)
  • California Medical License #A114865 (Expires May 31, 2024)
  • Oregon Medical License #MD193438 (Expires December 31, 2023)
  • New York Medical License #249071-1 (Expires April 30, 2024)
  • Washington Medical License #MD 60963725 (Expires May 15, 2023)
  • Florida Medical License #ME104945 (Expired January 31, 2012 – not renewed)
  • Illinois Medical License #036-116802 (Expired July 31, 2008 – not renewed)
  • California Radiography and Fluoroscopy X-ray Supervisor and Operator License #RHD00170450 (Expires October 31, 2023)
  • USMLE Step III – passed (July 13, 2006)
  • USMLE Step II – passed (January 28, 2003)
  • USMLE Step I – passed (July 2, 2001)

Post Graduate Medical Education

  • August 2008 – July 2009
  • Adult Joint Reconstruction Fellowship
    Insall Scott Kelly Institute for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine
    210 East 64th Street
    4TH Floor
    New York, New York 10065
  • July 2003 – June 2008
  • General Orthopaedic Surgery Residency
    Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
    Loyola University Medical Center
    2160 South First Avenue
    Maywood, Illinois 60153

Post-Secondary Education

  • August 1999 – June 2003
  • Thomas Jefferson University
    Jefferson Medical College
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Doctor of Medicine
  • August 1994 – May 1998
  • University of Notre Dame
    College of Science
    Notre Dame, Indiana
    Master of Science – Biology
  • August 1990 – May 1994
  • University of Notre Dame
    College of Science
    Notre Dame, Indiana
    Bachelor of Science – Pre-professional Studies

Publications

  • Hajnik CA, Radnay CS, Scuderi GR, Scott WN. Classification of Knee Ligament Injuries.  Scott WN (ed): Insall & Scott:  Surgery of the Knee (Fifth Edition).  Philadelphia, Elsevier Churchill Livingstone, 2012.
  • Khakharia S,Nett MP, Hajnik CA, Scuderi GR. Complications of Total Knee Arthroplasty.  Scott WN (ed):  Insall & Scott: Surgery of the Knee (Fifth Edition).  Philadelphia, Elsevier Churchill Livingstone, 2012.
  • Hajnik CA, Cushner FD. Bicompartmental Arthroplasty.  Scuderi GR, Tria AJ (ed):The Knee:  A Comprehensive Review.  Hackensack, World Scientific, 2010.
  • Hajnik C, Hopkinson W, Harrington M.  Advances in Total Hip Arthroplasty. Loyola Orthopaedic Journal. 14:42-45.
  • Hajnik CA, Goetz FW, Hsu SY, Sokal N.  Characterization of a ribonucleic acid transcript from the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) ovary with structural similarities to mammalian adipsin/complement factor D and tissue kallikrein, and the effects of kallikrein-like serine proteases on follicle contraction.Biology of Reproduction. 1998 Apr; 58(4):887-97.

Abstracts

  • Hajnik C, Akhavan S, Wyland DJ, Cohen SB, Jazrawi LM, Youm T, Loren GJ, Farr J.  TwoYear Clinical Outcomes of the Subchondroplasty® Procedure for Treatment of Symptomatic Bone Marrow Lesions of the Knee.  American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, 2019.
  • Hajnik C, Hopkinson W, Stover M, Harrington M, Sartori M, Havey R, Patwardhan A, McAsey C.  Comparison of fixation of an extended trochanteric osteotomy with cerclage cables versus cables and a 4-hole unicortical locking plate.Orthopaedic Research Society, San Diego, CA, 2007.
  • Cooke CC, Hozack W, Lavernia C, Sharkey P, Rothman R, Shastri S, Hajnik C.  Early failure mechanisms of constrained tripolar acetabular sockets used in revision total hip arthroplasty.   American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2002.

Presentations and Lectures

  • Joint Replacement & Your Quality of Life.  Scripps Memorial Hospital, Encinitas, CA, November 2, 2017
  • Joint Replacement & Your Quality of Life.  Notre Dame Club of San Diego, Lomas Santa Fe Country Club, Del Mar, California, October 22, 2015.
  • Posterior Approach to Total Hip Arthroplasty.  Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Association Conference, Carlsbad, California, October 17, 2015.
  • Making Strides with Knee Replacement Surgery.  La Costa Glen Community Center, Encinitas, California, March 6, 2012.
  • Joint Replacement Surgery:  Preparation and Expectations.Rancho Vista Community Center, Rancho Santa Fe, California, August 12, 2011
  • Joint Replacement & Your Quality of Life.  Sacred Heart Hospital Health Seminar, Pensacola, Florida, July 28, 2010; Encinitas Rotary Club, Encinitas, California, August 2, 2011.
  • Revision Total Joint Replacement.  Carpenter’s Creek Retirement Center Education Seminar, Pensacola, Florida, July 15, 2010.
  • Treatment Strategies for Arthritis.  Peoples Home Health Community Outreach Seminar, Pensacola, Florida, July 1, 2010.
  • Impact of Arthritis on Major Joints.  Sacred Heart Hospital Health Seminar, Gulf Breeze, FL, March 25, 2010.
  • Fixation of an extended trochanteric osteotomy using cerclage cables and a unicortical locking plate:  The Anchor Technique.OREF Midwest Resident Research Competition and Symposium, Chicago, IL, 2008; Mid-America Orthopaedic Association, Boca Raton, Florida, 2007
  • Pediatric Knee Injuries.Grand Rounds, Loyola University Medical Center Department of Orthopaedics, March 2008
  • Degenerative Knee Arthritis in Young Active Patients.Grand Rounds, Loyola University Medical Center Department of Orthopaedics, March 2007

Awards and Honors

  • 2006 Current Concepts Foundation Scholarship ($1500)
  • 2005 AO North America Resident Research Grant ($5000)
  • 2002 Jefferson Summer Research Fellowship ($2000)
  • Captain – 1994 NCAA National Champion Fencing Team
    University of Notre Dame
  • All-America Fencing Team 1994

Community Service

  • Team Physician – Carlsbad High School Football, Carlsbad, California
  • Project Access – San Diego Medical Society Foundation

Professional Memberships

  • American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  • American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons
  • International Congress for Joint Reconstruction
  • Insall Club
  • California Medical Society
  • San Diego County Medical Society

Research

  • Prospective efficacy evaluation of subchondroplasty for the treatment of defects associated with bone marrow lesions – Christopher Hajnik, MD (Principal Site Investigator); CORE Orthopaedics, Encinitas, CA (2015)
  • A phase 3 prospective, randomized, partially-blinded, multi-center study to measure the safety and efficacy of NOVOCART 3D, compared to microfracture in the treatment of articular cartilage defects - Christopher Hajnik, MD (Sub Investigator); CORE Orthopaedics, Encinitas, CA (2013)
  • A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-dos phase 2 study evaluating the safety and efficacy of intra-articular injections of TPX-100 in subjects with mild to moderate patella-femoral osteoarthritis involving both knees - Christopher Hajnik, MD (Sub Investigator); CORE Orthopaedics, Encinitas, CA (2013)
  • Biomechanical comparison of two fixation techniques to secure an extended trochanteric osteotomy fragment – Avinash Patwardhan, PhD (Project Advisor); Musculoskeletal Research Lab, Hines VA Hospital, Hines, IL (2006)
  • Failure mechanisms of constrained acetabular sockets –William Hozack, MD (Project Advisor); Rothman Institute at Jefferson, Philadelphia, PA (2002)
  • Motor deficit prevention by Trolox (vitamin E) in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats – Lorraine Iacovitti, PhD (Project Advisor); Faber Neuroscience Institute at Jefferson, Philadelphia, PA (2002)
  • Biochemical control mechanisms of ovulation in a brook trout model – Frederick W. Goetz, PhD (Project Advisor); University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN (1995-1998)

Hobbies And Interests

  • Golf
  • SCUBA and free diving
  • College Football
  • Christopher Hajnik, MD

    CORE Orthopaedic Medical Center
    332 Santa Fe Drive
    Suite 110

    Encinitas, CA 92024

  • University of Notre Dame
  • Thomas Jefferson University
  • Loyola University Medical Center
  • Insall Scott Kelly® Institute
  • Top San Diego Doctors, Hospitals and Clinics - Scripps Health
  • Advanced Surgery Center of North County
  • American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  • AAHKS | Educate. Advocate. Investigate.
  • International Congress for Joint Reconstruction
  • San Diego County Medical Society