Dr. David Rust
Dr. David Rust, a physician with St. Luke’s Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, does outreach with patients at SMC. He is a fellowship trained sub-specialist in knee and shoulder surgery, and has expertise in arthroscopic (minimally invasive) surgery, joint replacement surgery and fracture surgery.
“In my practice at St. Luke’s and with my outreach, I care for patients from youths to seniors. I see patients at the Sawtooth Clinic once a month. Those who require surgery come to Duluth for that. I work closely with the physicians and therapists in Grand Marais, and I time the surgeries so I can do my follow up when I come back up to them,” he said.
Dr. Rust is no stranger to Cook County. As an outdoors enthusiast who enjoys hiking, skiing and mountain biking, Dr. Rust has worked alongside the Lutsen Ski Patrol for their 99er mountain bike race. He also serves as the Spirit Mountain Ski Patrol medical director.
One of Dr. Rust’s SMC patients, Nancy Iverson, a resident of Tofte, required a left knee arthroscopy to remove torn cartilage (meniscus).
“This knee arthroscopy is one of the most common reasons why people seek orthopedic care. It is a very safe and minimally invasive procedure. Patients can walk the same day and bend the knee quickly,” Dr. Rust explained.
Iverson said, “It was very convenient. After the consultation with Dr. Rust, I only had to come down to Duluth to do the surgery. I was able to do my follow-up and rehabilitation and physical therapy once a week in Grand Marais. With my job as a realtor, I need to be able to travel. So to be able to recover so quickly after the surgery has been wonderful.”
After receiving his medical degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, Dr. Rust completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of New Mexico and his fellowship in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at Minnesota Orthopedic Sports Medicine Institute (MOSMI)/ Fairview in the Twin Cities.
He has worked with professional, college and high school sports teams, including the Minnesota Twins, the University of Minnesota football and wrestling teams, and the University of New Mexico football team.
Dr. Rust’s philosophy of care is to encourage his patients to get active and to enjoy the things that they love to do. If anything is holding them back, he is committed to helping them heal.
Dr. Rust has appreciated the opportunity to provide orthopedic care to Grand Marais and surrounding communities and to make it more convenient for patients to have access to specialized orthopedic care.
“It is certainly easier for one person to drive two hours than to have 25 patients driving down to me in Duluth. The whole outreach clinic philosophy makes a lot of sense. It is more likely people will seek care at an outreach clinic closer to them,” Dr. Rust said.
“I have been so impressed with the quality of care at Sawtooth Clinic,” he added. “Everyone there has been just great to work with and so supportive.”
Sawtooth Mountain Clinic (SMC) in Grand Marais is designated as a federally qualified Community Health Center. This allows them to fulfill their mission of “providing access to high quality, comprehensive, primary and preventative healthcare in Cook County to all users, regardless of financial ability to pay for service.”
As a third year federally designated “Health Care Home,” SMC sponsors many community outreach and education programs throughout the year including childbirth education, foot care clinics, flu shots, and blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol screenings.
Over the years, the SMC has maintained a loyal practice of local doctors who have remained members of the community. And SMC continues to offer providers for outreach services, which have included orthopedics, ENT specialist, and dietitian services.
As for her care from Dr. Rust, Iverson said, “Dr. Rust was wonderful as was everyone at St. Luke’s and the staff at SMC. Without the outreach, I probably would have put this off, and it would have gotten worse.”
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