The legendary surgeon and innovator, Dr. John Richard Steadman has passed away at the age of 85. It will be very hard to accurately convey his influence on the practice of sports medicine and orthopedics in general.
Dr. Steadman developed several advanced surgical procedures for the knee but is probably best known for the “microfracture” technique and the concept of the “healing response,” which played a crucial role in opening up the entire branch of regenerative medicine at the clinic level.
He also was the founder of the Steadman Clinic and founder and co-chair of Steadman Philippon Research Institute, a global leader in orthopedic research and education. He retired from active practice in 2014.
A True Leader and Innovator
Over his long, storied career, Steadman treated an astounding number of Olympic and professional athletes. Indeed, at some point in his life, his reputation among athletes became near Olympian itself because he not only returned these athletes to the game, but did so at such a high level that some of their greatest achievements occurred after surgery.
Dr. Steadman’s client base included professional soccer players, skiers as well as NFL, NBA, and MLB athletes.
The first athletes he worked with in the 1970s were the elite athletes on the United States Olympic ski teams. He was the team physician for the U.S. Alpine Ski Team for nine consecutive Winter Olympics.
In 1982, he turned his focus to knee injuries and the complexities of treating this particular joint. Between 1989 and 1991 is when he developed the “healing response” to treat injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament.
Dr. Steadman was also instrumental in changing views on physical therapy and post-operative rehabilitation. The practice in the 1980s was to stabilize an injury with a plaster cast right after surgery but he believed that early mobilization post-surgery improved healing.
His microfracture technique, a procedure intended to stimulate articular cartilage growth by increasing blood supply, rich in MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells) and other repair proteins, into the injured knee joint. That particular approach led to a plethora of similar techniques that used basic regenerative medicine principles to treat virtually every injured, articulating joint. Microfracture has its adherents and detractors, but it opened up a new way of thinking about healing damaged articulating joints and added an important tool to the orthopedic and sports medicine bag that is now employed globally.
In 2011, Steadman developed the “package”, as a way to improve the movement of patients with arthritic knees. He has also invented several surgical instruments, and a graft passer as well. He collaborated on a topical anesthetic that is still under development and a collagen meniscus knee implant that is available in Europe.
A Passion for Sports & Medicine
John Richard Steadman was born in Sherman, Texas, on June 4, 1937. An athlete himself, he played for football legend Paul “Bear” Bryant while attending Texas A&M University. He received his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas in 1963. Directly afterwards he did an internship at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, and then spent two years in Germany serving in the U.S. Army.
After his time in the army, he came back to the states, returned to Charity Hospital for his orthopedics residency. In 1970 after completing that, he moved to South Lake Tahoe, California to join Dr. Paul Fry’s general orthopedics practice.
In the 1970s, he also joined the doctor pool for the U.S. Ski Team. He traveled to South America and Europe to provide medical care for the team and in 1976 he was named chief physician for the team. He also volunteered his services at the first U.S. Olympic training center located in California.
He served the U.S. Alpine Team at nine Winter Olympic Games: 1976 Innsbruck, Austria, 1980 Lake Placid in the U.S., 1984 Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina (former Yugoslavia), 1988 Calgary, Canada, 1992 Albertville, France, 1994 Lillehammer, Norway, 998 Nagano, Japan, 2002 Salt Lake City in U.S. and 2006 Torino, Italy.
Dr. Steadman founded his nonprofit research institute, Steadman Sports Medicine Research Foundation, home to one of largest orthopedic research databases in the world in 1988 in Lake Tahoe. Then in 1990, Steadman moved to Vail, Colorado, to open The Steadman Clinic to care for more patients and further his research.
While living in Vail, he spent time as a consultant to the Denver Broncos Football Team and the Colorado Rockies Baseball Team.
Initially Dr. Richard Hawkins, a Canadian orthopedic surgeon whose specialty was the shoulder, joined him both in the clinic and the research institute forming the Steadman Hawkins Clinic and the Steadman Hawkins Research Foundation. In 2004, Hawkins decided to move his practice to South Carolina and in 2005, Dr. Marc Philippon, an accomplished hip surgeon, joined both the clinic and the institute.
Dr. Marc J. Philippon, managing partner of The Steadman Clinic and co-chair of Steadman Philippon Research Institute, said in a statement. “Dr. Steadman was an incredible surgeon and leaves a remarkable legacy of innovation in the field of orthopedics and sports medicine.”
He added, “Those who knew Dr. Steadman knew what a remarkable surgeon and person he was. He was a great friend, and an important part of my family. He made a tremendous impact on our local Vail community, the skiing world, and the entire field of orthopedics and sports medicine. It was a true honor to work alongside him at The Steadman Clinic and Steadman Philippon Research Institute, and he will be greatly missed, but his legendary work continues to live on.”
Besides his knowledge and skill, Steadman will also be remembered for his devotion to his patients.
One of his high profile patients was Pro Football Hall of Fame member Bruce Smith, who played for the Buffalo Bills and lead the team to four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s. By the time he retired, he was considered the all-time NFL leader in sacks.
Smith said Steadman was so much more than his doctor. He became his friend.
“From the moment that I met him,” Smith said in an interview in the summer of 2019, “I knew that he was the right surgeon to operate on me. From his bedside manner to just the way that he spoke to you, you knew immediately that it just wasn’t a doctor-patient relationship. Steady was in it for you, not only to protect you, but also to make sure that your quality of life was first and foremost.”
Smith played for 10 more years after his initial surgery despite having to undergo subsequent procedures.
American downhill skier Andy Mill, a two-time Olympian, said Steadman took the care of his patients very personally.
“When you were in his presence, you knew you were going to be in great care,” Mill said in an interview in 2016. “Not only as a surgeon but as a great friend. A lot of times we were inspired to come back, not only because of our own hearts and our own passions, but because of him and his efforts in trying to help you get back. He inspired us so much that a lot of times we wanted to do it for him as much as we wanted to do it for ourselves.”
Cindy Nelson, a three-time Olympian and a 1976 bronze medal winner in the women’s downhill, was one of Steadman’s first elite athlete patients.
“Every time I think of Dr. Steadman, I smile, because not only is he a genius in his medical profession but he’s a gentle giant of a man,” Nelson said in an interview in 2001.
“I was Dr. Steadman’s first elite athlete of any nature back in 1974. Really all the greatness at the end of my career, I owe to him because he was the one who kept me together. But truly his legacy is through his foundation (now Steadman Philippon Research Institute), because through his foundation he is going to be able to continue to impact others, physicians as well as people, for many years to come.”
It wasn’t just his superstar patients that he gave his all too though. All his patients received the same devoted care. He would always answer all his patients calls day or night and worked with tirelessly to help them reach their recovery potential.
“He knew the value of outcomes research and was a true pioneer not only in techniques but also in the importance of science and the practice of evidence-based medicine. Steady was a champion for his patients, a kind and dedicated physician with a healing touch. He truly, deeply cared for every patient he met, and prioritized their outcomes.” Philippon said.
He is survived by his wife, Gay Steadman, son Lyon Steadman, daughter Liddy Lind, the entire Steadman family and extended family and friends.
Steadman met his wife Gay on a blind date 63 years ago. She said in his obituary that “she knew the minute they met she would marry him.”
True partners, they built their lifelong home after moving to Vail in 1990. Despite his jammed packed schedule, he was always present for important family events and often cheered his grandchildren on at sporting events all around the country. Family was important to him. Every week, he would hike the forest service road with his wife and dogs.
Per the Vail Daily obituary: “The family will hold a private service. A community celebration of life in honor of Dr. Steadman will be held on June 4, 2023, (which would have been his 86th birthday). Details will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI) in support of the important research he was so passionate about.”
