Dr. Fricka was born in Chicago, IL, and grew up in the greater Los Angeles, CA region. He earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, where he was also a varsity basketball team member. He completed his medical education at George Washington University. Upon graduation, he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Society and received the Julius S. Neviaser Award in Orthopaedic Surgery.

He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency training at the University of California-San Diego. Dr. Fricka finished his specialty training with a one-year fellowship in adult reconstructive surgery at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush University in Chicago, IL. He has presented numerous scientific papers and has won several awards for his research efforts. He has been published in the Journal of Arthroplasty and other scientific orthopaedic journals, co-authored several book chapters, and is a member of both the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons.

Dr. Fricka was one of the first Inova orthopaedic surgeons to perform outpatient partial knee replacement, a less invasive option for patients with knee arthritis than a total knee replacement. He performs partial knee replacements in an outpatient surgical center, and the patient “walks” home the same day, avoiding a hospital stay. Dr. Fricka’s surgical expertise and interests include partial knee replacement, “minimally invasive” knee and hip replacement, and the more complex revision or second surgery of failed knee and hip replacements. Watch Dr. Fricka give one of his famous Community Lectures about joint replacement.

Inova has created a Musculoskeletal service line for the entire Inova system, and Dr. Fricka was named the Section Chief of Hip and Knee Arthroplasty. In this role, he will lead the hip and knee service and collaborate with the orthopaedic surgeons and the Inova system to build a world-class joint replacement care program. He is excited about this opportunity and looks forward to sharing his years of experience and insights on joint replacement care with the system.

In his spare time, he enjoys basketball, both playing and coaching, cycling, cooking, and spending time with his children, Jack and Emily. He also devotes time to the charitable organization Operation Walk Virginia. This non-profit charity provides joint replacement surgery for those patients who do not have access to surgical care in the United States and other countries around the world.

Dr. Fricka is proud to be a team member of Operation Walk USA. If you or someone you know is in need of a hip or knee replacement but does not qualify for government assistance programs and cannot afford surgery on your own, please visit the Operation Walk America website today.

“I believe that patient care, patient education, and patient-being, both in the hospital and at home after surgery, are important aspects of successful joint replacement surgery. I look forward to meeting with patients and helping them along their journey from surgery through recovery to an active lifestyle.”