Christopher M. LaPrade, MD

Christopher M. LaPrade, MD, is a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon with a focus on sports medicine injuries of the knee, shoulder, and elbow, as well as joint replacement of the shoulder. He also specializes in 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, meniscus root tears, 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, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. He then completed his Orthopedic Residency at Stanford University in 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 85 peer-reviewed publications/book chapters, over 30 presentations at scientific meetings, and two awards for the excellence of his research. He reviews manuscripts for numerous top sports medicine and shoulder and elbow journals, including the American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM), Arthroscopy, and the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (JSES). He is a member of numerous professional societies, included being elected to the prestigious invitation-only American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES). He also has leadership roles in research including being on the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) Research Committee and the Editorial Board for the Arthroscopy Journal.

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. He is also passionate for education and is part of the teaching faculty for the Twin Cities Orthopedics sports medicine fellowship program.

In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons, 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.

Clinical Interest

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 autograft transfer (OATS), osteochondral allografts (OCA) or autologous chondrocyte implantation), and knee osteotomies (including distal femoral, high tibial, tibial tubercle, and anterior closing wedge osteotomies)

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 and open 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, cubital tunnel release, ulnar nerve transposition, and fractures

Education

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

Hospital & Surgery Center Affiliations

Edina Crosstown Surgery Center
Eagan Orthopedic Surgery Center
M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital
M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital
Orthopedic Institute

Professional Affiliations

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)
American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES)
AOSSM Research Committee Member
Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA)
Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopy and Related Surgery Editorial Board
Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery Reviewer
International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS)
Journal of Biomechanics Reviewer
Journal of International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (JISAKOS) Reviewer
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (JSES) Reviewer
Meniscus International Network Study Group
Minnesota Orthopaedic Society

Achievements & Awards

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)

Sports Affiliations

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)

Publications & Presentations

View Dr. LaPrade’s Research Efforts
View Dr. LaPrade’s Research Publications