The Best Orthopedic Surgeons in Western Pennsylvania

Orthopedic surgery consists of any procedure or surgery involving the bones and muscles (such as replacing a hip or surgically repairing a torn groin muscle). These procedures can alleviate pain or restore a patient to full mobility after an injury, and their effects can last the remainder of a patient's life. U.S News and World Report's "Best Orthopedic Hospitals" 2009 issue ranked University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) tenth, and three of the four best orthopedic surgeons in Western Pennsylvania practice medicine there.

• Dr. Freddie Fu has appeared on "Pittsburgh Magazine's" best orthopedic surgeon list every year for the past 8 years. Dr. Fu practices orthopedic medicine for the Sports Medicine Center of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), a large network of hospitals, clinics and doctors in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Additionally, he teaches as an adjunct professor at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Science and is the head team physician for the department of athletics at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). He completed his medical schooling, residency and won a fellowship at Pitt's medical school and also won a fellowship in arthroscopic surgery in East Lansing, Michigan. His specialties include sports medicine and shoulder and knee injuries (particularly anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, injury).

• Dr. Lawrence Crossett practices orthopedic surgery at two of UPMC's hospitals: UPMC Presbyterian and UPMC Shadyside. His areas of expertise include knee and hip surgery. He received his medical degree from Philadelphia's Temple University School of Medicine and has practiced orthopedics for almost 3 decades. In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Crossett works at Pitt's medical school as an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery in the Joint Reconstruction Musculoskeletal Division. He is also that division's chief and core curriculum coordinator.

• Dr. Mark Rodosky completed his medical schooling at New York's prestigious Mount Sinai Hospital and performed his residency at Pitt's medical school. He also earned a fellowship from Columbia University Hospital in New York. His specialties include sports medicine and surgeries of the hand, arms and shoulder (with a focus on rotator cuff procedures). At Pitt's medical school, he heads up the shoulder service training in their division of sports medicine, where he teaches as an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery.

• After attending Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Dr. Robert L. Waltrip performed a residency at Pitt's medical school. Along with Drs. James Andrews and Bill Clancy, he then led a fellowship in sports medicine (with a focus on shoulder injuries) at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Alabama. He practices medicine for Tri-Rivers Surgical Associates, Inc., where his specialties include sports medicine, minimally invasive rotator cuff and knee surgeries (including ACL reconstruction) and complete shoulder replacement. In addition to publishing articles on surgical techniques, conducting clinical studies and lecturing, he also works as team physician for a number of Western Pennsylvanian high schools.