As a young boy growing up in Nashville, David G. Brown, MD, had a passion for two things -- science and playing sports. Years later he was able to merge these two passions when he became an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine.

“I grew up playing baseball and basketball,” he said. “I had to see physicians for sports-related injuries, and I was always fascinated with the body’s ability to heal, and later the role of surgical interventions in the healing process.” 

He didn’t always know he wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. Originally, he wanted to be a biomedical engineer.

Brown attended Vanderbilt University and received a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. After college, he worked for a healthcare start-up firm for three years assisting hospital and clinical radiology departments transition from film to digital imaging.

He enjoyed his work but felt the calling of another career.

“In the back of my mind, I had this desire and empathy for helping people in pain, which drove me to pursue a career in medicine,” he said. “So my wife and I packed our bags and moved to Memphis for medical school.”

Brown attended the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in 2002 and knew quickly he wanted to specialize in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine. After residency, he fellowship trained in sports medicine at the Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Jackson.

“Sports medicine became very appealing to me because I enjoy being part of a team in some way,” he said. “It is highly rewarding to help guide an athlete’s recovery from injury so they can continue to play the sport they love.”

A decade later, Brown is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and arthroscopic hip, shoulder and knee surgeries for OrthoMemphis.  In operation since 1969, OrthoMemphis is composed of 19 board-certified physicians and fellowship-trained surgeons who specialize in orthopedic areas such as sports medicine and spine, hand, foot, ankle, hip, knee and total joint replacement.

Brown has been with the practice for three years and says he enjoys working with talented physicians who are experts in their subspecialty.

 “I feel blessed to have found this group of physicians,” he said. “We collaborate on a daily basis to ensure that patients are getting the best treatment available. My practice is filled with athletes, and there is nothing more rewarding than seeing your athlete return to their sport after an injury.”

After residency, he thought he would return to Nashville but decided to stay in Memphis and now considers Memphis home.

“Memphis is a great place to practice medicine,” he said. “There is such a large opportunity here, and we see patients from a tri-state area.

“Plus, Memphis is a terrific place to raise a family. There is so much culture – from The Orpheum to the Memphis Grizzlies, great restaurants and family activities like the Children’s Museum and Zoo. I love it here, and I feel that by practicing here I am giving back to the city and making it a better place for people to pursue their athletic and outdoor interests.”

Brown spends three days per week seeing patients in the OrthoMemphis clinic and two days per week in surgery. He performs several surgeries during the day ranging from repairing a rotator cuff to reconstructing knee ligaments.

“Each day is different,” he said. “I get the best of both worlds. Some days, I am able to work in the operating room repairing injuries and correcting anatomic problems. On other days, I can be face-to-face talking with patients about their discomforts and developing their treatment plan.”

Brown treats a variety of patients ranging from infants to adults. He specializes in treating patients with shoulder, hip and knee problems that occur from work, play, sports or just the aging process. However, athletes still remain the largest portion of his patient base.

“I treat athletes of all ages, including middle school, high school, college and adult athletes,” he said. “Their sports range from football, basketball and baseball to emerging sports like lacrosse and cycling. I even treat weekend warriors who enjoy getting outdoors for exercise.

“There has been a trend over the last decade where we are seeing more injuries among young athletes on a high school level. Instead of playing many sports like I did growing up, kids are now playing one sport year round. Their bodies don’t have time to rest in between seasons, and as a result we see more athletes with more injuries and sometimes even reoccurring injuries.”

In addition, Brown says there is pressure for high school and college athletes to perform because the competition is fierce. He recommends that athletes rest certain parts of the body for several months per year in order to play in peak condition.

“We see chronic injuries due to overused muscles,” he said. “For instance, in baseball, pitchers who use their arm 12 straight months. Their arms don’t get a chance to rest, and as a result we see a lot of shoulder and elbow injuries.”

On the flip side, he is seeing important surgical advancements in sports medicine, particularly in the area of hip arthroscopy.

“Hip arthroscopy is quickly becoming a great option for young people with certain hip disorders,” Brown said.

According to Brown, hip scope technology, surgical technique and instrumentation have evolved over the last few years. Surgeons can correct various hip disorders with a minimally invasive technique. As a result, patients have a much shorter recovery versus conventional surgical techniques that require open procedures and large incisions. Brown says his job is rewarding, although it sometimes takes awhile.

“There is a lot of delayed gratification in my job,” he said. “It sometimes takes months for these patients to get better. It’s rewarding to see a patient who came to you unable to walk be able to do so later as a result of your treatment and their dedication to get better.  I couldn’t ask for a better job.”

RELATED LINK:

OrthoMemphis, www.orthomemphis.com