Sports Medicine

Dr. James A. Nicholas, Chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital from 1971 to 1994, a true pioneer in sports medicine, created the foundation of excellence upon which this Division has been built for decades. He was one of the founders of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the American Journal of Sports Medicine, and the Orthopaedic Research Society. He served as the team physician for the New York Jets, Knicks, Rangers, and Cosmos, provided orthopaedic care for the Joffrey Ballet Company, and served as the first president of the Professional Football Physicians’ Association. Dr. Nicholas developed the first derotational knee brace, and the Nicholas Manual Muscle Tester. His most lasting contribution is perhaps the establishment of the Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma, the first hospital-based institute for the study of sports medicine, which was later named in his honor (NISMAT). Dr. Nicholas’ impact on the field of sports medicine is reflected by his induction into the AOSSM Hall of Fame. The current leadership of this Division has continued this rich tradition of excellence. The current Chief of Sports Medicine, Barton Nisonson, previously served as team physician and chief orthopaedic surgeon for the New York Rangers, as well as associate orthopaedic surgeon for the New York Jets, and has dedicated his entire career to the education of future sports medicine surgeons as Director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship. The current Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Elliott Hershman, has served as a team physician for the New York Jets football team for over twenty five years, and is a respected authority in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and meniscal surgery of the knee. The entire team of sports medicine surgeons at Lenox Hill Hospital is equally committed to the care of both recreational and competitive athletes in New York, including those of Hunter College, Long Island University, and several public and private schools around the city.

The Division of Sports Medicine is committed to offering its patients cutting edge, evidence-based care for the treatment of the entire spectrum of sport- and activity-related trauma. The surgeons of the division are particularly skilled in hip arthroscopy , including the treatment of labral tears and hip impingement, elbow arthroscopy, advanced techniques in arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, and anatomic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction via an anteromedial portal using a variety of graft options.