Robert F. LaPrade

Dr. Robert F. LaPrade is an internationally recognized orthopaedic surgeon who joined The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado in 2010 and specializes in the treatment of complex knee injuries. He has special expertise in posterolateral knee injuries, PCL tears, revision ACL reconstructions, meniscal transplants, MCL injuries, knee osteotomies, fresh osteoarticular allografts, and other complex knee injuries.

Please visit drlaprade.com or call his office at (970) 476.1100.

The Steadman Clinic

181 West Meadow Drive

Suite 400

Vail, Colorado 81657

Dr. LaPrade is a former collegiate athlete who graduated from medical school at the University of Illinois-Chicago. He completed his orthopaedic residency at the Michigan State University Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies in 1993 and his sports medicine fellowship at the Hughston Clinic in Columbus, Georgia in 1994. While at the Hughston Clinic, he was greatly influenced by the attention to anatomic details and clinical teachings of one of the founders of Sports Medicine, Jack Hughston MD. He was an assistant professor in sports medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch from 1994-1996 and joined the University of Minnesota in 1996. He subsequently earned his PhD with a thesis on "The Anatomy, Diagnosis and Biomechanics of Posterolateral Knee Injuries" from the University of Oslo in 2003 and was awarded a Career Development Grant from the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation on the Natural History of Posterolateral Knee Injuries.

Dr. LaPrade has published over 125 peer reviewed scientific manuscripts, over 50 invited articles and book chapters, and one comprehensive textbook on "Posterolateral Knee Injuries: Anatomy, Function and Treatment." He has also been awarded the Albert Trillat Young Investigator award from ISAKOS, the J. Albert Key Research Award from the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association, the 3M Excellence in Clinical Research Award from the AOSSM, and the Excellence in Research Award from the AOSSM. Dr. LaPrade was an AOSSM Traveling Fellow to the Pacific Rim in 1997. He is also on the Editorial Boards of the American Journal of Sports Medicine and Knee Surgery, Arthroscopy and Traumatology (KSSTA), and is a peer reviewer for over 10 journals, including the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, American Journal of Sports Medicine, Journal of Orthopaedic Research, and Knee Surgery and Sports Traumatology. Dr. LaPrade has also been selected as "one of the Best Doctors in America". Dr. LaPrade was team physician for the University of Minnesota Men's ice hockey team (National Champions in 2002 and 2003) and the men's baseball team during this time. Dr. LaPrade was also very active in coaching youth baseball and ice hockey and in church activities in his community in Minnesota.

While at the University of Minnesota, Dr. LaPrade was recognized for his collaboration with one of Europe's top sports centers at the University of Oslo, the Norwegian Olympic Center, and Dr. Lars Engebretsen. Through this collaboration, several surgeries to treat complex knee injuries were invented after extensive research including detailed anatomic studies, biomechanical testing, and development of new diagnostic means to diagnose these complex injuries. Clinical outcome studies have also been published which validated these new reconstruction procedures.

Dr. LaPrade has been appointed as the Director of Biomechanics Research in the Steadman Philippon Research Institute, and his researchers at the Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI), form one of the strongest sports medicine research teams in the world. Current plans are to expand research collaboration with the University of Oslo at SPRI.

Board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. LaPrade also has a Certificate of Added Qualification in sports medicine. Dr. LaPrade is also a member of numerous national and international committees and is a member of the AAOS, AOSSM, ESSKA, ISKAOS, AANA, and ICRS.

Dr. LaPrade and his wife, Sandy, have three sons who are all active athletes in ice hockey and other sports. He is an avid sportsman who works out daily.