After visiting your family medicine doctor and/or a sports medicine specialist, it might be determined that you will require surgery for your sports medicine injury.  Everyone is going to recommend someone different for you to visit.  A lot of it will again depend on what type of insurance you have.  If you have an HMO plan, you will have to see the orthopedic surgeon that your family practitioner refers to.  If you have a PPO or Open Access plan, you should be able to see a physician of your choice, as long as the practice accepts your insurance plan. 

Let's back up: an orthopedic surgeon is a highly skilled and educated physician that has completed specialty training in the field of musculoskeletal injuries, especially those requiring surgical repair to restore normal range of motion and function.  These doctors are usually more aggressive doctors who can specialize in upper extremity or lower extremity injuries.  You will find orthopedic surgeons on staff with all professional sports organizations, collegiate athletic departments, Olympic and amateur sports, private practices, hospitals, and even clinics and high school affiliations.

An orthopedic surgeon is trained to open you up, as minimally invasive as possible, if all conservative treatment has failed, or if you have an acute injury that automatically requires surgery.  Some common orthopedic injuries requiring surgery are, but not limited to ligament and tendon repair (torn anterior cruciate ligament in the knee, Achilles tendon rupture in the ankle, Tommy Johns ulnar collateral ligament repair in the elbow),  labral tears (in the shoulder or hip), sports hernias, fractures (Jones fracture in the foot, or anything requiring pins, screws, etc), arthroscopic surgery (minimally invasive diagnostic technique of using a camera inside a joint to determine what the problem is which can occur at the knee, shoulder, hip, ankle, elbow joints).  These are just some examples of the many things an orthopedic surgeon can do. 

Finding a good orthopedic surgeon can be tough.  There are excellent choices in the valley.  Three are highlighted below with a brief bio:

Dr. Craig Weinstein, of Sports and Orthopedic Specialists, is located in the East Valley at 3487 S. Mercy Road, Gilbert, AZ 85296.  Phone number is 480-222-5601.  Their website is: http://www.sossportsmed.com/index.php.  Dr. Weinstein and his staff are dedicated to restoring your winning lifestyle.  He operates next door at Mercy Gilbert Hospital.  His staff includes a physician assistant and a sports medicine specialist.  They will see younger student athletes as well.

Dr. Weinstein's bio reads: "A graduate of Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Dr. Weinstein attended Columbia University. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. After completing his preliminary general surgery and a research fellowship in orthopaedics, Dr. Weinstein performed his orthopaedic surgical training at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. Following this, Dr. Weinstein spent a year as a sports medicine fellow at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Alabama under the direction of Dr. James Andrews.

Dr. Weinstein's interests include shoulder, elbow, and knee problems as well as athletic injuries in both adult and pediatric patients. His research has focused on new treatments for cartilage injuries of the knee as well as frozen shoulder and throwing injuries.

Dr. Weinstein has published numerous articles and co-authored several book chapters. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the Arthroscopy Association of North America. He was also awarded a prestigious Herodicus Traveling Fellowship where he spent time with leading experts in sports medicine so that he could bring this world class care to residents of the Valley.

Dr. Weinstein has helped care for athletes at all levels ranging from the professionals of the Arena Football league to division I-A and I-AA colleges to numerous local high schools as well as recreational athletes. He is currently an orthopaedic consultant to the San Francisco Giants baseball team.

Dr. Weinstein also authors an ongoing Q&A blog, covering topics that vary from identifying different types of injuries to important tips on maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. Visit Dr. Weinstein's Blog at azcenteral.com."  www.sossportsmed.com/index.php

Dr. Jason Tani is another excellent East Valley orthopedic surgeon.  His office is at 4540 E. Baseline Road #119, Mesa, AZ 85206.  Office phone number is 480-635-1141.  His specialties are the shoulder, arm, elbow, hand and wrist, hip, knee, foot and ankle.  Dr. Tani will see pediatrics, teens and adults.  His website is http://orthodoc.aaos.org/drjasontani/index.cfm.  Dr. Tani is board certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery since 1999 and was re-certified in 2009.  He attended the John Burns School of Medicine in Honolulu, HI in 1990, MD and also has his BA in Biology and Education from Washington University in St. Louis, in 1980.  He completed an internship at University of California San Diego in 1991 and a residency at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV in 1996.  He is affiliated with Arizona Spine and Joint Hospital in Mesa, AZ, Banner Baywood Medical Center in Mesa, and Gilbert Emergency Hospital, Gilbert, AZ.  Dr. Tani is a member of both the state medical and orthopedic societies. 

Dr. Michael Lee is the head team physician for the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Dr. Lee practices orthopedic surgery as a part of Arizona Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Specialists in Glendale, Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Sun City, AZ.  His main office is located at 2222 E. Highland Avenue, Suite 425, Phoenix, AZ 85016.  His office phone is 602-667-6640.  According to the Arizona Diamondbacks 2009 media guide,  "Dr. Lee is board-certified in orthopedic and sports medicine, as well as an active member of the Major League Baseball Team Physicians Association.  Previously, he assisted other Major League Clubs with their orthopedic needs, as well as serving as orthopedic consultant to the Arizona State University sports teams.  His private practice specializes in sports injuries and caring for professional and amateur athletes of all types, from Olympic swimmers to pro golfers.  He has also served as an orthopedic consultant to the Arizona Cardinals for the past four years.  Dr. Lee grew up in Phoenix, then graduated from the University of California at San Diego and attended the University of Arizona to complete Master's coursework in Exercise Physiology, graduating from the College of Medicine with honors in 1988.  He returned to Phoenix in 1994 and continues to volunteer his time and expertise to his alma matter, Brophy College Prep's sports teams, as well as volunteering as a surgeon to medically under served populations, most recently in El Salvador with Medical Hands for Healing in 2008." http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/ari/downloads/y2009/media_guide/staff_bios.pdf

Lastly, there is another excellent group of orthopedic surgeons in the Phoenix area who practice with a group called TOCA, the Orthopedic Clinic Association of Phoenix.  The doctors of TOCA have an excellent reputation and you can find our more about their practice at http://www.tocamd.com.

For further information contact the Arizona Orthopedic Society at http:///www.azortho.org.