OsteoarthritisofHand near Mayfield, KY

Care Philosophy: As an athlete throughout my life and a rabid sports fan, I have always had a special passion for the field of sports medicine. I enjoy treating athletes from all walks of life - from the pediatric sports injury to the weekend warrior with arthritis pain, my focus is getting patients back to their sport and their passion. What few people recognize is that sports medicine is an integrated field that requires several moving parts: coaches, athletic trainers, physical therapists, primary care physicians, and orthopedic surgeons when needed. As a team physician for the University of South Alabama, I am again working with a team of experts who share a common goal: to keep athletes safe and to return them to the field after an injury.

Biography: Dr. Kurtis Kowalski, MD is an Orthopedic Surgery Specialist who practices in Clarksville, TN. He is 55 years old. Dr. Kurtis Kowalski, MD is affiliated with TriStar Northcrest Medical Center and TriStar Centennial Medical Center.

Biography: Dr. Matthew Christie, MD returned to middle Tennessee in 2021 to join his father in practice at Southern Joint Replacement Institute. Born and raised in Nashville, Matthew attended Montgomery Bell Academy, but eventually left his hometown to attend Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts where he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in chemistry in 2009. After a two-year hiatus, one spent in Iowa researching the genetics of kidney disease and another in Nepal working at a rural health clinic, Matthew traveled up to the University of Virginia for medical school, graduating in 2015 with his Doctor of Medicine. He matched in orthopaedic surgery residency close at home at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he eventually met his wife, Courtney. After a year in fellowship at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City honing his hip and knee replacement practice under some of the country's experts, Matthew moved back to Nashville to join SJRI. Dr. Christie specializes in hip and knee arthroplasty, with a particular interest in complex primary and revision reconstructive surgery. He is active in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Association of Hip and Knee surgeons, for which he evaluates the fields latest research as a reviewer for the Journal of Arthroplasty. He is an avid traveler and deeply involved in the mission of the Walk Strong Foundation, establishing hip and knee replacement centers in low and middle-income countries, as well as the educational goals of the Southern Joint Replacement Institute adult reconstruction fellowship. He enjoys spending time outside with his wife hiking, camping and fishing, and is excited to be back in his home town improving the lives of his neighbors.