Dr. Richard Steadman Inducted into AOSSM Hall of Fame
Dr. Richard Steadman was inducted into the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s (AOSSM) Hall of Fame on Friday, July 10th, during the Society’s Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. AOSSM Hall of Famers are individuals in the sports medicine community who have contributed immensely and set themselves apart from others in the field.
Dr. Steadman was born in Sherman, Texas. He received his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University, where he played football under Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. He received his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical .School in Dallas, Texas. Following internship at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Dr. Steadman served two years in the U.S. Army in Germany, then returned to Charity Hospital where he completed his orthopaedic residency in 1970.
Richard Steadman began his sports medicine orthopaedics career in South Lake Tahoe, California in 1970. He became active with the U.S. Ski Team soon thereafter, and he donated his services at what became the first ever U.S Olympic Training Center in Squaw Valley, California.
He was the Head U.S. Alpine Ski Team Physician from 1976 to 2012 and developed the U.S. Ski Team Sports Medicine Committee. He continues today as the chairman of the Medical Group of the U.S. Ski Team. He has been inducted into the U.S. and the Colorado Ski Halls of Fame. He was also awarded the AT&T Skiing Award, which is given to someone whose excellence and dedication to skiing has profoundly enriched the sport.
An award-winning innovator and mentor in the field of orthopaedic sports medicine, Dr. Steadman founded the non-profit Steadman Sports Medicine Research Foundation in 1988 at South Lake Tahoe, California, where he began his orthopaedic practice in 1970. Its purpose was to collect and analyze patient data and outcomes over time. That organization exists today as Steadman Philippon Research Institute, which is known worldwide for its unprecedented clinical database and research into orthopaedic injuries of the knee, hip, shoulder, ankle, and spine.
Early in his career at South Lake Tahoe, Dr. Steadman developed significant improvements in the field of post-surgical rehabilitation. These techniques are important in shortening and strengthening the healing process after surgery.
Steadman is internationally known for the development of many advanced surgical procedures for the knee, including "microfracture," a procedure that repairs the damaged joint, and encourages the re-growth of articular cartilage. Today, microfracture is the most common treatment for chondral defects of the knee. He also developed the "healing response," and most recently, (in 2011) the "package," a technique that can restore normal, comfortable movement to the stiff and painful arthritic knee, thereby avoiding joint replacement surgery.
Dr. Steadman was a proponent of early motion and physiologic loadbearing after ACL reconstruction. He has had more than 225 articles published and has made nearly 700 presentations.
In 1990, he moved his practice to Vail, Colorado, and became the founding and managing partner of The Steadman Clinic. Prior to his retirement from clinical practice in 2014, Dr. Steadman served as a consultant to several professional sport teams in the U.S. and Europe.
The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) is a world leader in sports medicine education, research, communication and fellowship, and includes national and international orthopaedic sports medicine leaders. The Society works closely with many other sports medicine specialists, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, family physicians, and others to improve the identification, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of sports injuries. AOSSM is also a founding partner of the STOP Sports Injuries campaign to prevent overuse and traumatic injuries in kids.