About
Dr. Lonnie (Leon) Paulos has many years of experience and thousands of successful patient cases and treatments. He is one of the pioneers in Orthopedic Sports Medicine. His strength lies in the depth of education and experience who can diagnose and treat a wide range of surgical and non-surgical musculoskeletal conditions.
Background
Dr. Paulos was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, July 1946. He graduated from the University of Utah and played American football as the starting strong safety for 4 years. He was named to the academic all-conference football team 3 times and also to the NCAA Academic All-American Football team, honorable mention. He graduated from the University of Utah School of Medicine with honors (AOA). He completed his internship at Parkland Memorial hospital in Dallas, Texas and his orthopaedic residency under the late Dr. Sherman Coleman at the University of Utah. He completed a double fellowship with Dr. Fred Allman in Atlanta, Georgia, and Dr. Frank Noyes in Cincinnati, Ohio. Working with Dr. Noyes and his colleagues as an associate and partner introduced him the importance of academics and research in Sports Medicine Orthopaedics and has been very productive since that time.
He has over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, over 370 academic presentations around the world, been an instructor for over 75 orthopaedic instructional course lectures, and has published over 47 books and chapters in his specialties. He also has 30 patents and patents pending for medical devices and procedures.
Dr. Paulos was a pioneer for arthroscopic subacromial decompression and rotator cuff repair in the shoulder, as well as arthroscopic anterior cruciate and posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. His pioneering work on knee arthrofibrosis and the clinical entity of inferior patellar entrapment syndrome has been widely referenced and recognized.
Dr. Paulos has been, and still is, an orthopaedic consultant to many high schools, colleges, and professional sports teams, as well as the US Olympic Ski Team. His previous positions include Vice President and Medical Director of the Andrews-Paulos Research & Education Institute, Gulf Breeze, Florida; Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; Medical Director of the Biomechanics Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah; Founding Partner of The Orthopedic Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah; Associate Clinical Professor, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah; Assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio; Adjunct Professor, School of Physical Therapy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah; Adjunct Professor, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama; Research Associate, Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science, University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida.
Dr. Paulos has been AAOS board certified since 1980 and has his CAQ in Sports Medicine. He has trained over 200 post-graduate orthopaedic surgeons in his ACGME certified sports medicine fellowships. He sits on many Editorial Boards, committees, and medical consulting panels. He was one of the very first European Traveling Fellows, and has since served as a Godfather in 2009. He and his associates have been awarded the O’Donoghue Research Award; 3M Health Care Award for Applied Science and the National Athletic Trainer’s Association President’s Challenge Award. He is a member of the Herodicus and AOA Societies.
Dr. Paulos and his wife Shannon live in Salt Lake City, Utah and have 6 children and 3 grand children between them.
Curriculum Vitae
Colleges Degrees:
University of Utah, B.S., Zoology, 1969
University of Utah, M.D., Medicine, 1973
Internship:
University of Texas Southwestern, Parkland Memorial
Hospital, Dallas, Texas, 1973-1974
Residency:
Resident in Orthopedic Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, 1974 -1978
Fellowships:
Clinical Fellow, Atlanta Sports Medicine Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia, 1978
Research/Clinical Fellow, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, 1979
Licensure:
Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Texas, Florida, Alabama
Military:
Major, United States Air Force Reserve
Honorable Discharge, September 1979
Board Certification:
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, September 1980
Specialties
He offers comprehensive care in all areas of orthopedics, including: Sports Medicine, Hand, Foot, Ankle, Spine, Joint Replacement and Minimally Invasive Surgery. His philosophy is to establish the safest and most effective way of returning patients to normal lifestyles, athletics and work. Over the years, he has developed minimally invasive techniques and devices to assist patients in full recovery without prolonged rehabilitation and/or increased expenses related to lost work time.
Pioneering Procedures
- Joint Preservation Specialist
- Pioneer and innovator arthroscopic ACL Surgery
- Pioneer and Developer Arthroscopic PCL Surgery
- Pioneer and Developer Arthroscopic shoulder decompression
- Pioneer and early advocate of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair
- Pioneer and technique innovator for meniscus transplant in the knee
- Developer and researcher of a new and more successful patella stabilization procedure
- The first to develop and use ultra-high strength sutures in orthopedic surgery
- Inventor and application of multiple arthroscopic and open surgery instruments for orthopedic surgery
