J. Richard Steadman, MD, 1937-2023

J. Richard Steadman, MD, 1937-2023Dr. J. Richard Steadman, founder of The Steadman Clinic as well as the founder and co-chair of Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI)—a world leader in orthopaedic research and education—died peacefully in his sleep on January 20, 2023, at his home in Vail, Colorado. He was 85 years old. A renowned innovator and mentor in the field of orthopaedic sports medicine, Dr. Steadman was internationally known for developing several advanced surgical procedures for the knee, including the microfracture and healing response techniques, which harness the healing potential of the body. Dr. Steadman retired from active practice in 2014. Dr. Steadman treated countless Olympic and professional athletes across various sports and was sought out by some of the most well-known athletes and public figures in the world for treatment. Many high-level athletes with potentially career-ending injuries were able to return to achieving medal-winning victories following treatment by Dr. Steadman, and this record of success made him an iconic figure in sports medicine. The elite athletes whom he helped return to sport included professional soccer players, National Football League athletes, Major League Baseball players, National Basketball Association athletes, and professional skiers. Dr. Steadman’s direct involvement in providing care for elite athletes originated in the 1970s with the U.S. Olympic ski teams. He served as the team physician for the U.S. Alpine Ski Team for 9 consecutive Winter Olympics, beginning with the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. In 1982, the complexity of the knee and its critical importance to athletic performance motivated Dr. Steadman to focus nearly exclusively on disorders of and injuries to that joint. He developed and validated the mircrofracture technique for the treatment of chondral injuries, which has been used worldwide. Between 1989 and 1991, he worked to develop a treatment for a specific type of injury to the anterior cruciate ligament, and this procedure came to be known as the “healing response.” Dr. Steadman was a pioneer in physical therapy and postoperative rehabilitation. Although an unconventional idea at the time, he believed that it was better to move an injured joint after surgery rather than stabilize it with a traditional plaster cast. His bold idea changed the way that orthopaedic surgeons and physical therapy professionals treat injuries around the world. Dr. Steadman was born in Sherman, Texas, on June 4, 1937. He graduated from Texas A&M University, where he played football for legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant during his freshman and sophomore years. In 1963, he earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas. After his internship at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, Dr. Steadman and his family spent 2 years in Germany while he served in the U.S. Army. He returned to Charity Hospital for his orthopaedic residency, which he completed in 1970. At that time, he and his family moved to South Lake Tahoe, California, where he joined the general orthopaedic practice of Dr. Paul Fry. Between 1971 and 1973, Dr. Steadman was asked by the U.S. Alpine Ski Team to join its physician pool, which covered races in the U.S. and Canada. Subsequently, he was asked to travel to South America and Europe to provide medical coverage for the team, and in 1976, he was named Chief Physician of the U.S. Ski Team. In the late 1970s, he volunteered his services at Palisades Tahoe (known then as Squaw Valley), which became the first U.S. Olympic training center in Olympic Valley, California. Dr. Steadman created the nonprofit Steadman Sports Medicine Research Foundation in 1988 in Lake Tahoe. That organization exists today as Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI), which is known worldwide for its clinical research database and the study of orthopaedic injuries. For more than 3 decades, SPRI has been collecting clinical data and tracking the treatment outcomes of patients. It is one of the richest orthopaedic research databases in the world that focus on patient outcomes and the dissemination of data in order to promote the practice of evidence-based medicine. In 1990, Dr. Steadman moved to Vail, Colorado, to open a sports medicine clinic and to broaden the scope of his orthopaedic research work. Dr. Steadman won many awards for his work, including the AOSSM (American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine) Cabaud Memorial Award; the ISAKOS (International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine) Albert Trillat Young Investigator’s Award; the ISB (International Society of Biomechanics) Clinical Biomechanics Award; the AOSSM Aircast Clinical Research Award; the GOTS (Gesellschaft für Orthopädisch-Traumatologische Sportmedizin)-Beiersdorf Research Award; the AANA (Arthroscopy Association of North America) Richard O’Connor Award; the AOSSM Mr. Sports Medicine Award; the ICRS (International Cartilage Regeneration & Joint Preservation Society) Lifetime Achievement Award in Cartilage Research; and the NATA (National Athletic Trainers’ Association) Jack Weakley Award of Distinction. Dr. Steadman is survived by his wife, Gay Steadman; his sister, Mary; his son, Lyon; his daughter, Liddy; 6 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren; and countless friends. A community memorial will be held for Dr. Steadman in early June 2023 in Vail, Colorado. M.J.P.

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