Home » Physicians » Christopher M. LaPrade, MD
Orthopedic Surgery, Board Eligible Sports Medicine of the Knee, Shoulder, and Elbow
Knee Care
Pediatric Care
Shoulder & Elbow Care
Sports Medicine
Trauma Care
Christopher M. LaPrade, MD, is a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon with a focus on sports medicine injuries of the knee, shoulder, and elbow. In addition, he specializes in joint replacement of the shoulder and knee, as well as trauma care, including operative and nonoperative care of common fractures. His special interests include shoulder and knee arthroscopy, anatomic and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty, cartilage preservation of the knee, ACL injuries, posterolateral corner injuries, multiligamentous knee injuries, and pediatric knee injuries.
Dr. LaPrade grew up in Chanhassen, Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota, earning summa cum laude honors and high distinction. He received his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. He then completed his Orthopedic Residency at Stanford University in Redwood City, California.
He received further specialization during his combined Sports Medicine/Shoulder & Elbow Fellowship at OrthoCarolina in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he obtained additional experience in complex knee, shoulder, and elbow surgery. His time at OrthoCarolina also involved being a team physician and providing sideline coverage for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL, the NFL Combine, Charlotte Football Club of the MLS, Charlotte Knights of AAA minor league baseball, and local high school football. His fellowship year also included time in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Oslo, Norway for additional complex knee training.
He is heavily involved in the academic community with over 65 peer-reviewed publications/book chapters, over 20 presentations at national meetings, and two awards at national meetings for the excellence of his research. He also reviews manuscripts for the top sports medicine journal, the American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM), and is a member of numerous professional societies. He has a particular research interest in the ACL, PCL, posterolateral corner, meniscus root and ramp tears, shoulder arthroplasty, sports performance after injury, baseball injuries, and hockey injuries.
In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, son, and dog. He continues to stay active in the community through intramural sports leagues, including men’s league hockey and softball, as well as providing sideline coverage for Eden Prairie High School football games. He also enjoys outdoor activities, personal fitness, boating, skiing, snowboarding, and traveling with his family. Dr. LaPrade is an avid sports fan and enjoys watching and attending collegiate and professional sporting events.
Sports medicine care, including injuries of pediatric, adolescent, and adult patients of all ages and sports
Knee care, specializing in both common and complex injuries including primary and revision ACL reconstructions (including pediatric), PCL injury and reconstruction, multiligament knee injury, posterolateral corner injury and reconstruction, MCL and posteromedial corner injuries and reconstruction, patellar and quadriceps tendon repairs and reconstructions, meniscal repairs (ramp, root, radial, bucket-handle, or horizontal), patellofemoral instability (including MPFL reconstruction and tibial tubercle osteotomies), cartilage preservation and restoration (including osteochondral allograft (OCA) grafts or autologous chondrocyte implantation), knee osteotomies (including distal femoral, high tibial, tibial tubercle, and anterior closing wedge osteotomies), and primary total knee arthroplasty including robotic total knee arthroplasty
Shoulder care, specializing in rotator cuff tears, shoulder instability/dislocations (including arthroscopic anterior and posterior labral repairs and remplissage), open stabilizations for dislocations (Latarjet, distal tibial allograft, and lesser tuberosity transfers), arthroscopic distal clavicle resection, arthroscopic biceps tenodesis, acromioclavicular (AC), coracoclavicular (CC), and sternoclavicular (SC) joint injuries and reconstructions, total shoulder replacements including anatomic and reverse replacements, hemiarthroplasty, complex shoulder replacements, and revision shoulder replacements
Pediatric care, including physeal sparing techniques for ACL reconstruction and MPFL reconstruction, drilling or fixation of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesions, lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET), tibial spine avulsion repairs, throwing-related injuries of the shoulder and elbow, and common fractures and sprains
Fracture care, including reverse total shoulder replacement for proximal humerus fracture, periprosthetic fractures of the shoulder, and fractures of the clavicle, proximal humerus, elbow, forearm, distal radius, hip, femur, patella, tibial plateau, tibia, and ankle
Elbow care, specializing in distal biceps tears, triceps tears, medial and lateral epicondylitis, ulnar collateral ligament (Tommy John) injury, OCDs of the elbow, cubital tunnel release, ulnar nerve transposition, and fractures
Certification
Board Eligible, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
Fellowship
Sports Medicine/Shoulder & Elbow Fellowship, OrthoCarolina, Charlotte, NC
Residency
Orthopaedic Surgery Residency, Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Redwood City, CA
Medical Degree
Doctor of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Edina Crosstown Surgery Center
Eagan Orthopedic Surgery Center
M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital
M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital
Orthopedic Institute
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM) Reviewer
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM)
Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA)
International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS)
Journal of International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (JISAKOS) Reviewer
Meniscus International Network Study Group
Achilles Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Award for paper titled, “Biomechanical consequences of a nonanatomic posterior medial meniscus root repair after a root tear” at International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS), Lyon, France, June 2015
Resident/Fellow Research Award for paper titled, “Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction in Major League Baseball Pitchers Does Not Decrease Spin Rate” at American Shoulder and Elbow (ASES) Foundation Meeting, San Francisco, California, September 2021
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Medical College of Wisconsin (2017)
Graduation with summa cum laude and High Distinction, University of Minnesota (2013)
Eden Prairie High School, Head Team Physician (2024—Present)
NFL Combine, Coverage (2024)
Carolina Panthers (NFL), Assistant Team Physician (2023-2024)
Charlotte Football Club (MLS), Assistant Team Physician (2023-2024)
Charlotte Knights (AAA), Assistant Team Physician (2023-2024)
East Mecklenburg High School, Head Team Physician (2023-2024)
Stanford University Baseball, Game Coverage (2022-2023)
