In the exam room, OR, or the research lab, these are some of the top sports knee surgeons in North America. We sought out leading sports medicine surgeons and asked them to select their peers who stand out.
The 16 Standout North American Sports Knee Surgeons
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Here is that list. It isn’t the be-all and end-all list—but a list of who are arguably some of the finest sports knee physicians, teachers, researchers or administrators in the country.
This information was obtained via a telephone survey of thought leaders in the field. No one at OTW names surgeons to the list.
The information in quotes is what we heard about these surgeons.
In alphabetical order, then, here are 16 of the finest sports knee surgeons in North America.
James P. Bradley, M.D., M.S.
Dr. Bradley is a sports medicine specialist with Burke & Bradley Orthopedics at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Bradley is head orthopedic surgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is a past president of the National Football League Physicians Society and of Herodicus. “He has amazing expertise in managing a range of high level athletes and recreational athletes. He has a good understanding of how biologics play a role in helping facilitate treatment and recovery.”
Anikar Chhabra, M.D.
Dr. Chhabra is director of Sports Medicine at Mayo Clinic Arizona and an adjunct Clinical Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic Arizona. “He is a tireless worker who balances a very busy clinical practice with his duties as Head Team Physician for Arizona State University. His surgical skills have earned the respect of colleagues and patients. He embodies the consummate orthopedic sports medicine physician.”
Brian J. Cole, M.D., M.B.A.
Dr. Cole is associate chairman and professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, as well as professor in the Departments of Orthopaedics and Anatomy and Cell Biology. Dr. Cole is Section Head of the Cartilage Restoration Center at Rush University Medical Center and Chairman of Surgery at Rush Oak Park Hospital. “He is widely respected for his cartilage work. When he looks at injuries he examines not just the one injury, but looks at the complexity of the entire knee. He is well known for meniscal transplants, and is an extremely innovative and research oriented surgeon.”
Daniel E. Cooper, M.D.
Dr. Cooper is a sports medicine specialist with the Carrell Clinic in Dallas, Texas. He is a past president of the Texas Sports Medicine Society and is an independent consultant to numerous collegiate and professional teams, sports agents and their players. He is also the head team physician for the Dallas Cowboys. “He is one of the best knee surgeons in the NFL and has written extensively on anterior cruciate ligament problems in these athletes; he is also good with posterior crucial ligament problems. He is extremely well versed in the care of professional athletes with knee problems. He has been doing high-level knee surgery for over 25 years.”
Neal S. ElAttrache, M.D.
Dr. ElAttrache is a sports medicine specialist with the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, California. Dr. ElAttrache is chairman of the Board of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Foundation and program director for the Kerlan-Jobe Fellowship. He is the team physician for the LA Dodgers and is an orthopedic consultant to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, St. Louis Rams, LA Lakers, LA Kings and the PGA Tour. “His clientele is a ‘Who’s Who’ in Hollywood. He is a communicator who is extremely attentive to details. He is the ‘go-to’ guy as far as fellowship education. He will be president of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) in 2018.”
Gregory C. Fanelli, M.D.
Dr. Fanelli is an orthopedic surgeon with Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pennsylvania. “He is a well-respected expert on complex knee trauma and multi-ligament knee injury. His knee ligament reconstruction techniques have set the standard of care for orthopedics. He is a careful and honest researcher who has published some of the largest series in the literature.”
Jack Farr, II, M.D.
Dr. Farr is an orthopedic surgeon at OrthoIndy and a professor of Orthopedic Surgery (Volunteer) at Indiana University Medical School. He is also medical director of the OrthoIndy Cartilage Restoration Center of Indiana. “He is known for his thoughtful approach in the management of problems of the patellofemoral joint. He is known as an innovator for therapies of the knee. He is a great teacher who knows how to get his point across. He stays on top of the current trends.”
Andreas H. Gomoll, M.D.
Dr. Gomoll is an associate professor of Orthopedic Surgery and clinical leader in orthopedic surgery at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “He is a great physician-scientist who is thoughtful in his decision making. He has done good work related to articular cartilage and the meniscus. He has good intuition about clinical trials as they relate to cartilage repair.”
Darren L. Johnson, M.D.
Dr. Johnson is a professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Kentucky. He is director of Sports Medicine and serves as head orthopedic surgeon for the Kentucky Wildcats. “Dr. Johnson is an experienced physician in the field of sports medicine. He has presented at multiple national and international meetings on varied complex topics related to knee and shoulder problems in the athletically active. He is a resource for the diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries, especially those in the knee. He is an excellent teacher and clinician.”
Aaron J. Krych, M.D.
Dr. Krych is an associate professor at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “He specializes in sports medicine and joint preservation. He is an outstanding clinician-scientist and a technically proficient surgeon. His publications focusing on hip arthroscopy and cartilage restoration are helping to improve the future care of all of our patients.”
Christian Lattermann, M.D.
Dr. Lattermann is director of Cartilage Repair and Restoration and professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Kentucky. “He is an innovator at the forefront of cartilage preservation with a special interest in the prevention of post-traumatic osteoarthritis after ACL injury. He is conducting several trials in this area and his research has the potential to preserve function and prevent osteoarthritis for thousands of patients.”
Bruce A. Levy, M.D.
Dr. Levy is a professor of Orthopedics at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “He has become a renowned authority on knee dislocation surgery and has lectured around the world and published widely on this subject. He has formed and chaired the Knee Dislocation Study Group and has chaired an educational meeting (which runs every two years) highlighting the treatment of knee dislocations. He is an excellent speaker, a superb and innovative surgeon.”
Walter Lowe, M.D.
Dr. Lowe is chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and medical director of the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute. He is the team physician for the Houston Texans, Houston Rockets, University of Houston and many area high schools. “He is recognized for his clinical experience and expertise in treating knee injuries in competitive athletes. His recent outcomes research provides important information regarding return to play following ligament reconstruction.”
Peter B. MacDonald, M.D., F.R.C.S.C.
Dr. MacDonald is a professor and head of the Section of Orthopaedics at the University of Manitoba. In addition, he is the Gibson Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery and chief research and innovation officer of the Pan Am Clinic. He is also Head Team Physician for the Winnipeg Jets hockey club and orthopedic surgeon for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Football club. “He is a skilled surgeon, premier researcher and professional team physician. His leadership qualities are evidenced by his selection as the president of the Canadian Orthopaedic Society. He collaborates with colleagues throughout North America on multicenter clinical trials in order to enhance patient care.”
Seth L. Sherman, M.D.
Dr. Sherman is an assistant professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Missouri. “He belongs to a unique team that is integrated into a translational veterinary science team. This has allowed him to pursue ‘bench to bedside’ clinical research. In addition, he has developed a computer modeling system that simulates the lower extremity, allowing real time investigations that are immediately clinically relevant. Additionally, he cares for multiple athlete teams and teaches residents and fellows. Lecturing internationally as well as nationally, he truly is a rising star.”
Michael J. Stuart, M.D.
Dr. Stuart is vice chair of the Department of Orthopedics at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “He is well known for multi-ligament reconstruction of dislocated knees. He is a wonderful speaker with super interpersonal skills. His thought process is superb; it’s as if he has a flow chart in his brain. He is adept at spotting subtleties.”
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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