Sports Medicine, Shoulder and Elbow Center

Elite Expertise for Every Active Life
At the Sports Medicine, Shoulder and Elbow Center, our mission is simple: to keep you moving. Whether you’re a competitive athlete, a weekend warrior, or someone who simply wants to stay active at any age, we are uniquely equipped to diagnose, treat, and guide you back to the activities you love.
We care for all manner of athletes and active individuals—from patients seeking to maintain mobility, to high school and college athletes, to professional and Olympic competitors. In fact, we serve the vast majority of amateur and professional teams in North Carolina, and are trusted nationwide for the highest level of athletic care. This experience caring for elite athletes makes us uniquely suited to treat any patient who wants to optimize their activity level, regardless of age, background, or sport.
Our philosophy sets us apart: we are physicians first and surgeons second. That means we carefully weigh every treatment option—nonsurgical and surgical alike—and only recommend an operation when it truly offers the best path forward.
Our team is composed of internationally recognized orthopedic surgeons who are leaders in orthopedic sports medicine, many of us former elite athletes ourselves. Each of our surgeons has made significant contributions to the advancement of athlete care worldwide—publishing landmark research, pioneering new techniques, and teaching other surgeons across the globe. In short, we don’t just practice the standard of care—we define it.
Our expertise spans every joint essential to sports and active living:

Shoulder – From rotator cuff repair to instability and arthritis, our shoulder specialists are among the nation’s foremost authorities.

Knee – We are leaders in the treatment of ACL and other ligament injuries, meniscus and cartilage repair, and complex knee instability.

Elbow – We are experts in ligament, tendon, and cartilage injuries, including those that affect throwing athletes and active adults alike.

Hip – We bring advanced knowledge to the treatment of ligament, tendon, and cartilage injuries that can otherwise sideline active individuals. At the Sports Medicine, Shoulder and Elbow Center, we bring together innovation, experience, and compassion to offer patients the very best in orthopedic care. Our focus is helping every patient—whether aspiring Olympian or active retiree—find the right treatment to preserve mobility, restore function, and return to the activities that bring them joy.

The OrthoCarolina Difference in Numbers

The physicians at our center have been carefully selected for their training pedigree, compassionate bedside manner, technical prowess, research skill and experience taking care of athletes at the highest level. This one-of-a-kind team is dedicated to elevating the care of physically active children and adults in Charlotte, the Carolinas, and beyond.  

• 100% of physicians trained at a top 5 fellowship in Sports Medicine / Shoulder and Elbow Surgery
• 4.9/5 rating of our physicians on Google reviews
• 15,000 patients treated annually
• 2,400 surgical procedures performed annually
• #5 ranked orthopedic sports medicine fellowship program in the country, #1 ranked program in North Carolina
• 125 peer reviewed publications by our physicians in the last 5 years
• 50 years of combined team physician experience taking care of professional athletes (NFL, MLS, MLB AAA, NASCAR, NBA)
• 40 years of combined team physician experience taking care of Division 1 athletes (Davidson, UNC Charlotte, Duke, Queens University)

Sports Medicine Conditions That We Treat

Knee

• Meniscus tears
• Knee Ligament tears (ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL, or multiple ligament injuries)
• Revision Knee Ligament Reconstruction
• Knee dislocations
• Cartilage injuries
• Patellar dislocations
• Knee malalignment 
• Early knee osteoarthritis 
• Fractures of the kneecap, tibial tubercle, tibial spines, tibial plateau
• Patellar and quadriceps tendon injuries
• Osteochondritis dessicans 
• Stiff knee (Arthrofibrosis)
• Tibiofibular joint instability 
• Runner’s knee
• Plica Syndrome
• Tendinitis of the knee 

Shoulder 

• Rotator cuff tears
• Shoulder instability/dislocations
• Labral tears
• SLAP tears
• Biceps tendinitis
• Shoulder impingement
• AC joint injuries (shoulder separation)
• AC joint arthritis
• Fractures of the proximal humerus, clavicle, glenoid
• Tears of the biceps, triceps and pectoralis tendons
• Frozen shoulder (adhesive caspulitis)
• Shoulder avascular necrosis 
• Cartilage injuries
• Little League shoulder
• Shoulder arthritis
• Rotator cuff tear arthropathy

Elbow

• UCL (Tommy John) injuries
• Distal biceps and triceps tendon tears
• Elbow dislocations
• Cartilage injuries (OCD)
• Tennis and Golfer’s elbow (epicondylitis)
• Fractures (olecranon, radial head, medial epicondyle)
• Little League & throwers elbow

Hip

• Hip impingement (FAI)
• Labral tears
• Gluteus tendon tears
• Hamstring tears
• Cartilage injuries
• Hip Instability

Areas of Clinical Excellence

What sets OrthoCarolina’s Sports Medicine, Shoulder and Elbow program apart is that we have subspecialty experts in every facet of sports medicine.  Our physicians are involved in developing and implementing the most novel and advanced techniques, so you can rest assured you’re receiving the nation’s best care, right here in Charlotte.  Below you’ll see some of the advanced care available to you at our medical clinic. 

KNEE:

Complex Knee Ligament Reconstruction

• Revision ACL reconstruction
• PCL reconstruction
• Posterolateral corner repair/reconstruction
• Posteromedial corner repair/reconstruction
• Single stage multiligament knee reconstruction
• Multidisciplinary care for nerve and vascular injuries associated with knee dislocations
• Revision surgery including corrective osteotomies

Pediatric Sports Medicine

• Growth-sparing ACL reconstruction for children of all ages
• Growth-sparing lateral extra-articular procedures to protect ACL reconstructions
• Revision ligament surgery in the growing athlete
• Growth-sparing techniques for patellar stabilization
• Advanced care for discoid meniscus injuries, including meniscus transplantation
• Guided growth procedures to correct limb alignment and protect cartilage or meniscus repairs
• Advanced cartilage transplantation techniques including MACI, osteochondral autograft and allografts
• Age specific shoulder stabilization procedures including Latarjet procedure, free bone block procedures, complex labral repairs and remplissage
• Fixation of athletic knee fractures using minimally invasive techniques (tibial spine, tibial tubercle, patellar sleeve avulsions)

Complex Patellar Instability

• MPFL reconstruction
• Tibial tubercle osteotomy
• De-rotational femoral osteotomy
• Trochleoplasty
• Combined surgical procedures

Cartilage Restoration and Joint Preservation

• Orthobiologics
• Meniscal transplantation
• MACI
• Osteochondral autograft transplant
• Osteochondral allograft transplant
• Particulated articular cartilage transplant
• Joint preserving resurfacing procedures
• Tibial and femoral osteotomies (High Tibial Osteotomy (HTO), Distal Femoral Osteotomy (DFO))

SHOULDER AND ELBOW

Rotator Cuff Tears

• Arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears of all sizes
• Superior Capsular Reconstruction
• Graft / Patch augmentation of rotator cuff repair
• Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty for irreparable rotator cuff tears
• Lower trapezius tendon transfers

Throwing Shoulder and Elbow Injuries

• SLAP repair
• Complex labral repair
• Rotator cuff repair in throwing athletes
• Orthobiologics
• UCL reconstruction
• UCL repair 
• Internal Brace procedure
• Elbow arthroscopy
• Minimally invasive treatment of elbow cartilage injuries (OCD)

Complex Shoulder Instability 

• Anterior labral repair
• Posterior labral repair
• SLAP repair
• Latarjet procedure for glenoid bone loss
• Free bone block transfers for glenoid bone loss
• Remplissage procedure
• Humeral head osteochondral allografts for humeral bone loss
• Open capsular shift and labral repair

HIP

Hip Arthroscopy 

• Postless hip arthroscopy
• Arthroscopic management of hip instability
• Arthroscopic management of labral tears and hip impingement
• Arthroscopic labral and/or capsular reconstruction
• Revision hip arthroscopy
• Minimally invasive techniques for cartilage injuries of the hip
• Combined surgical and orthobiologic treatments for AVN
• Combined open and arthroscopic procedures for hip dysplasia
• Minimally invasive surgery for gluteus and hamstring tendon tears