Bio
Dr. Steven Isono is an Orthopaedic Surgeon specializing in Sports Medicine as well as surgery of the knee and shoulder. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery in both Orthopaedic Surgery and in Sports Medicine with a Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine.
Dr. Isono grew up in the East Bay and graduated as the Valedictorian of Oakland High School during which he participated in Basketball, Baseball, Track and Field with All-State Honors in Gymnastics. He received a BA with Honors in Biochemistry from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and wrote his Research Thesis on Erythrocyte Abnormalities in Sickle Cell Anemia. He then received his MD from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, Illinois and also performed research on Liver Hepatomas during medical school. His Internship in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Residency in Orthopaedic Surgery were both completed at Stanford with additional training in Microsurgery in Japan at the Kyoto University Hospital and the Tokyo Metropolitan Hospital.
He is serving as Team Physician and Consultant for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPSC) for Men’s Swimming, Women's Water Polo, Triathlon, Judo, Taekwondo, Track and Field, Men’s Rowing, and Boxing, the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), the Oakland Panthers (Professional Indoor Football League), and Laney College. He was Team Physician for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for many years and completed this role in 2019 to devote more time to the USOPC. He is also a consultant for the Special Olympics, Ironman World Triathlon Championships, Dew Tour of Action Sports, and Association of Volleyball Professionals.
In addition to covering numerous National and International World Championship competitions, he has served as the Orthopedic Surgeon for TEAM USA for the 2015 XVII Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, the 2016 XXXI Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aries, Argentina as well as the 2019 XVIII Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Dr. Isono was appointed the TEAM USA Head Team Physician at the 2021 XXXII Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan in July 2021 and the 2022 XXIV Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Most recently, he served as the Chief Medical Officer for the 2023 XIX Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, as well as the Head Physician for Team USA at the 2024 XXXIII Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France.
Dr. Isono also is a founder of a Non-Profit organization called the One Nation Project located in West Oakland. This program uses sports as an avenue to mentor kids-at-risk and involves kids from lower school through high school. Of his “first class” of kids, 10 of 11 kids graduated high school and college with a few of his “kids” becoming an Astrophysicist, a Financial Consultant, a Deputy Sheriff, and an Attorney.
Dr. Isono is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine, Olympic Sports Medicine Society, Arthroscopy Association of North America, California Orthopaedic Association, Western Orthopaedic Association, NBA Team Physicians Society, and the American College of Sports Medicine. He also holds the position of an Expert Medical Reviewer for the Medical Board of California.
Among his many honors, Dr. Isono has earned the “Top Doctors in Sports Medicine” award in the California Magazine, Oakland Magazine, and Bay Area Consumer’s Checkbook, the Patients’ Choice Award for California’s Favorite Physicians, and designated among “America’s Top Orthopedists” and "Sports Medicine Physicians" by Consumer’s Research Council of America.
Clinical Focus
- Sports Medicine
- Knee and Shoulder Surgery
- Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
Administrative Appointments
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Clinical Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery (2017 - Present)
Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations
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TEAM USA Head Team Physician, United States Olympic and Parlympic Committee (2020 - Present)
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Orthopedic Surgeon Consultant, National Football League Player's Association (2019 - Present)
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Team Physician and Consultant, USA Rowing (2018 - Present)
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Team Physician and Consultant, USA Women's Water Polo (2017 - Present)
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Team Physician and Consultant, USA Men's Swimming (2017 - Present)
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Executive Committee, NBA Team Physicians Society (2015 - Present)
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Team Physician and Consultant, National Basketball Association Golden State Warriors (2011 - Present)
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Team Physician and Consultant, Association of Volleyball Professionals (2007 - Present)
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Team Physician and Consultant, Laney College (2005 - Present)
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Expert Medical Reviewer, The Medical Board of California (2000 - Present)
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Team Physician and Consultant, USA Taekwondo (1997 - Present)
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Team Physician and Consultant, USA Boxing (1996 - Present)
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Team Physician and Consultant, USA Track and Field (1996 - Present)
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Team Physician and Consultant, USA Triathlon (1994 - Present)
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Team Physician and Consultant, USA Judo (1994 - Present)
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Qualified Medical Evaluator, State of California (1991 - Present)
Professional Education
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Board Certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (2020)
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B.A., Harvard University, Biochemical Sciences (1978)
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M.D., Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Medical School (1982)
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Internship, Stanford University Medical Center, General Surgery (1983)
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Residency, Stanford University Medical Center, Orthopaedic Surgery (1987)
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Board Certification, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery (1989)
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ReCertification, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery (1999)
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Certicate Added Qualification, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery Sports Medicine (2007)
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ReCertification, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery (2009)
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ReCertification, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery (2018)
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ReCertification, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery Sports Medicine (2018)
Community and International Work
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One Nation Project, Oakland, California
Topic
Integrating Sports and Education to improve their lives
Populations Served
Kids-at-Risk
Location
Bay Area
Ongoing Project
Yes
Opportunities for Student Involvement
No
All Publications
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High rates of respiratory illnesses upon arrival: lessons from Team USA at the Santiago 2023 Pan American and Parapan American Games.
British journal of sports medicine
2024
Abstract
To describe the incidence and characteristics of injuries and illnesses among Team USA athletes competing at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games (PAG) and Parapan American Games (PPAG), with a particular focus on the incidence of respiratory illnesses and on injuries for sports new to the Olympic and Paralympic programmes.Illnesses and injuries occurring among the 870 Team USA athletes competing in the Santiago 2023 PAG or PPAG were documented within Team USA's Injury and Illness Surveillance system. Illness and injury incidence per 1000 athlete-days (ADs) and incidence ratios (IR) were calculated, both with 95% CIs.Illness (IR 2.5, 95% CI 1.6, 3.9) and injury (IR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3, 2.5) rates were greater during PPAG compared with PAG. Illness rates were higher in the pre-opening ceremony period compared with the competition period for both PAG (IR 2.7, 95% CI 1.1, 5.9) and PPAG (IR 1.9, 95% CI 0.9, 3.8). Respiratory illness was the most common illness with 3.2% and 8.9% of all Team USA athletes reporting a respiratory illness during the PAG and PPAG, respectively. Sports that are relatively new to the Olympic/Paralympic programmes exhibited the highest injury rates during the Games: breaking (250.0 (91.7, 544.2) per 1000 ADs), Para taekwondo (93.8 (19.3, 274.0) per 1000 ADs) and surfing (88.9 (24.2, 227.6) per 1000 ADs).Respiratory illness rates were the most common type of illness during both PAG and PPAG and were more likely to occur prior to competition starting. Our data have identified high injury risk populations (breaking, surfing, Para taekwondo) and timing (pre-opening ceremony period) for further risk factor analysis.
View details for DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2024-108384
View details for PubMedID 38981662
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TOTAL JOINT ARTHROPLASTY FOR STEROID-INDUCED OSTEONECROSIS IN CARDIAC TRANSPLANT PATIENTS
CLINICAL ORTHOPAEDICS AND RELATED RESEARCH
1987: 201-208
Abstract
Ten cardiac transplant patients have had bilateral total hip or knee surgery for treatment of osteonecrosis secondary to corticosteroid immunosuppression. Nine had bilateral total hip arthroplasty and one had bilateral total knee arthroplasty for osteonecrosis of the tibial plateaus. The only immediate postoperative complication was in a single hip patient who had a nonfatal pulmonary embolism. Two patients died from cardiovascular causes; the remaining eight had excellent results from arthroplasty, with an average Harris hip rating of 95 at a mean follow-up period of 34 months. No patient had required revision surgery and radiographic follow-up examination has revealed no evidence of loosening of any of these cemented arthroplasties. One patient developed a late hematogeneous sepsis of one hip seven years after replacement from atypical mycobacterium three months following renal transplantation, which was done 11 years after cardiac transplantation. Total joint arthroplasty has resulted in excellent clinical and radiologic results in this patient population. Despite the increased risks of major surgery in these immunocompromised transplant recipients, total joint arthroplasty appears to be a safe and effective method of treatment of osteonecrosis of the hip.
View details for Web of Science ID A1987G726000018
View details for PubMedID 3549092