Dr. Anthony Avila sits down with Dr. Cody Ramirez, a fellowship-trained orthopedic sports medicine surgeon at South Texas Bone and Joint. Dr. Ramirez trained at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Denver, where he served as associate team physician for the Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies, and played linebacker for the Texas Longhorns before medical school. He talks about how his own injuries shaped a patient-centered approach: clear communication, shared decision-making, and treating the patient, not the imaging.
What’s Covered
- From Longhorns linebacker to orthopedic sports medicine surgeon
- The surgeries he performs most: rotator cuff and labral repairs, shoulder replacement, ACL and meniscus work, hip arthroscopy and hip replacement
- Diagnosing complex hip pain: groin vs. buttock pain, instability, dysplasia, impingement, and injections as a diagnostic tool
- Labral tears, and PAO vs. the hip replacement pathway
- How the hip, back, and knee affect one another
- Biologics and ultrasound-guided injections, including PRP and hyaluronic acid
Episode Chapters
- 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
- 01:57 From Linebacker to Surgeon
- 04:17 Lessons from the Field
- 05:41 Choosing Sports Medicine
- 06:43 Purpose and Weekend Warriors
- 09:18 Exceptional Care in the AI Era
- 13:14 Common Surgeries and Focus Areas
- 14:39 Hip Pain and Diagnosis Basics
- 17:23 Labral Tears and Treatment Options
- 20:58 PAO vs Hip Replacement Pathway
- 25:52 Who Thrives and When to Seek Care
- 29:44 Imaging and Shoulder Recovery Differences
- 33:58 Hip Back Knee Connection
- 39:15 Biologics PRP and Ultrasound Injections
- 42:57 Final Takeaways and Thanks
Watch the full conversation above, or request an appointment if hip, shoulder, or knee pain is holding you back.