John J. Christoforetti M.D. FAAOS — Physician

Biography

Some surgeons specialize in a joint. Dr. John Christoforetti has built a career around a single, demanding subspecialty within it. The result is a level of expertise that's brought him from Pittsburgh to Texas and back to the DMV, with patients following him the entire way.

Dr. Christoforetti is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with more than 15 years of experience treating hip, shoulder, and knee injuries through arthroscopic surgery. His approach is evidence-based, patient-centered care that considers both conservative and surgical paths. He earned his medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine and completed his sports medicine fellowship at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas, one of the most respected training programs in the country. He has personally performed more than 3,000 arthroscopic procedures over the course of his career, a volume that reflects both deep technical mastery and the trust an extraordinary number of patients have placed in him.

His leadership in the field of hip preservation is nationally recognized. He served as President of the International Society for Hip Arthroscopy (ISHA) in 2024, and his clinical focus includes femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), labral tears, hip dysplasia, and complex hip preservation cases that many surgeons are not equipped to handle. His contributions have been honored with the AOSSM Aircast Award for Clinical Science and the AANA Steven Snyder Award for Education, recognition from two of the most significant professional bodies in orthopedic sports medicine.

Dr. Christoforetti began his academic surgical career in Pittsburgh in 2007, where he trained more than 40 orthopedic residents and fellows and led the Center for Athletic Hip Injury at Allegheny Health Network. In 2019, his reputation and the patients who traveled to see him from around the world led to his recruitment to Dallas–Fort Worth, where he joined the leadership team at Texas Health Sports Medicine and directed their Center for Athlete's Hip. In 2023, he returned to the mid-Atlantic to join the team at Maryland Orthopedic Specialists, bringing nearly two decades of elite-level experience back to the community where so many of his patients live.

Sports medicine at the highest level

Dr. Christoforetti is a member of the Professional Soccer Physicians' Society and has served as team physician for FC Dallas (MLS, 2019–2023), the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the SheBelieves Cup, and the FCS National Championship Football Game ('20–'23). His earlier team physician roles include the Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB), the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL, 2012–2019), the Washington Wild Things ('07–'08), and the Colorado Rockies ('06–'07). He is also an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Drexel University College of Medicine, training the next generation of surgeons even as he continues operating at the highest level himself.

His patients span the full range of active life: professional, collegiate, Olympic, and high school athletes alongside adults and adolescents simply determined to keep moving.