Shoulder surgeon, Director of the Shoulder Division at HSS Florida · West Palm Beach, FL
On the show
“The ball is on the socket side, the socket is on the ball side.”
Dr. Simovitch explained reverse total shoulder replacement in plain terms. When the rotator cuff is no longer intact, a standard ball and socket replacement lacks stability and can fail early, so the reverse design swaps the two sides to give the shoulder the stability the cuff no longer can. He described the “constant warrior,” the patient who plays pickleball most days of the week with no moderation and no preparation until something gives, and traced his path into orthopedics to an undergraduate anatomy elective at Duke where students dissected a human leg.
Background
He is Director of the Shoulder Division and Co-Medical Director at HSS Florida, where he specializes in complex arthroscopic and open shoulder surgery, including shoulder replacement and revision shoulder replacement.
He attended Duke University as an undergraduate, earned his medical degree at Chicago Medical School in 2000, and completed his orthopedic residency at Duke University Medical Center, where he provided team coverage for the Duke men’s basketball and football teams.
He completed the Harvard Intercontinental Shoulder Fellowship, training on the Harvard Shoulder Service at Massachusetts General Hospital and at Uniklinik Balgrist in Zurich, Switzerland, where he began working with reverse shoulder replacement before it was widely available in the United States.
He is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and has been practicing since 2006.
He serves as a team physician for the Palm Beach Cardinals and the Gulf Coast League Cardinals, St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates, and assists with Cardinals players at the Jupiter training and rehab facility.
Watch the episode
Episode 8
Shoulder Pain, Rotator Cuffs & Replacements
Dr. Ryan Simovitch
The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body — and that mobility is exactly why it breaks down. Dave and Mike sit down with Dr. Ryan Simovitch to talk rotator cuffs, shoulder replacements, and what actually helps.
