| James Rheuben Andrews, M.D. | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Mountain Brook, Alabama (Birmingham) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Orthopedic Surgeon |
| Known for | Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center American Sports Medicine Institute Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center |
| Spouse | Jenelle Andrews |
| Children | 6 |
James Rheuben Andrews, M.D., born 1942 in Homer, Louisiana, is an orthopedic surgeon who practices at the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in Gulf Breeze, Florida. He also practices in Birmingham, Alabama at the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center located at St. Vincent's Medical Center. Dr. Andrews is arguably the most renowned orthopedic surgeon in his profession for knee, elbow, and shoulder injuries.[1][2][3] He has also been credited with performing some of the earliest arthroscopies.[2] Some of the most common procedures performed by Andrews are Tommy John Surgery and the repair of knee damage, and generally he is considered a top specialist in repairing damaged ligaments.
In 1986, Andrews and his partner Larry Lemak, M.D., founded the Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center (ASMOC) as well as the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) in Birmingham. He practiced at ASMOC until 2005 when he moved to St. Vincent's Hospital from the HealthSouth Medical Center. ASMOC and ASMI had had a long lasting relationship with Birmingham-based HealthSouth Corporation and its downtown medical center, where it had been since 1986. His new practice at St. Vincent's Hospital is called Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center.
In 2007, Andrews, along with Baptist Health Care, opened the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in Gulf Breeze, Florida. This new facility is all-inclusive housing diagnostic imaging, an ambulatory surgery center, an outpatient rehabilitation center, and is home to Athletes' Performance Florida. Andrews also appointed Dr. Lonnie Paulos as the medical director for his research and education division located at the Andrews Institute. The Andrews-Paulos Research & Education Institute focuses on research and education on prevention of injuries in various types of athletics.
Andrews is well known for performing orthopedic surgery on high-profile athletes from a wide array of sports. He created the HealthSouth Sports Medicine Council and was the driving force behind the successful Go For It! Roadshow. He was also an athlete himself, winning a Southeastern Conference Championship in polevaulting at Louisiana State University. Andrews was the subject of an ESPN.com article that praised his talents and listed some of his notable clients. One excerpt from the magazine stated that "[Andrews] is the alpha doc at the center of a sports-medicine network that extends well beyond doctors. Every athletic trainer, physical therapist, strength-and-conditioning coach in the land seems to have Andrews' cell phone number".[4] "As far as I know he's like the Jay-Z of the rap world. He's the best. He's smooth. He's smooth as butter." remarked Kevin Smith, Lions running back, on surgeon Dr. James Andrews who performed his ACL reconstruction. [5] He consulted on Tom Brady after his third knee surgery, Brett Favre with his shoulder surgery, [6] and most recently worked with Albert Pujols surgery on his right elbow. He also did a surgical repair of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees's throwing shoulder when he sustained a 360 tear of the labrum and additional rotator cuff damage.[7] He has also worked with professional wrestlers such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, John Cena, and Randy Orton. He also consulted U.S. women's national soccer team goalkeeper Hope Solo on her major shoulder surgery. Dr. Andrews also performed wrist surgery on Kevin Ward of the San Diego Padres before Ward made the big leagues. It was in the minors that Ward injured his left wrist and was advised to give up on his dream of playing pro baseball due to the injury. With help from Dr. Andrews, Kevin Ward had made the majors at 29 years of age.
Andrews serves as the team doctor for Alabama, Auburn, and the NFL's Washington Redskins. [8]
Recently, Allen Iverson has decided to rehab his right calf rather than have surgery after being examined by Dr. Andrews [9]
Andrews' patients also include Michael Jordan, Jack Nicklaus, Emmitt Smith, Wyatt Stewart, IV, John Smoltz, Troy Aikman, Charles Barkley, Roger Clemens, Andrei Markov, Bo Jackson, Ryan Broyles, and Adrian Peterson, among others.[10]
Andrews is respected within sports medicine and his career has enjoyed notable press coverage.[11]