Jeremy Burnham, MD

Jeremy Burnham, MD Dr. Burnham is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in complex knee surgery, sports medicine surgery, and shoulder surgery.

Board certified, fellowship trained sports medicine orthopedic surgeon specializing in ACL surgery, meniscus surgery, cartilage restoration, meniscus transplant, knee surgery, and all sports-related injuries. His main clinical and research focus centers around knee ligament injuries such as ACL tears.

If you or someone you know is training through an injury, rebuilding strength after surgery, or just trying to get stron...
03/18/2026

If you or someone you know is training through an injury, rebuilding strength after surgery, or just trying to get stronger the smart way, this is worth reading.

The American College of Sports Medicine just updated their resistance training guidelines for the first time in 17 years, and the biggest change affects how we measure intensity.

For years, coaches and trainers relied on percentages of your one-rep max. Now ACSM recommends focusing on Reps in Reserve (RIR): how many more quality reps could you do before you hit failure? That simple question replaces a lab test.

Why does this matter? Lower-weight training done with high effort (close to failure) builds strength and muscle just as well as the heavy stuff. That opens up options for everyone, regardless of age, pain level, or starting point.

For my patients recovering from ACL reconstruction, shoulder surgery, or managing knee pain, this validates what we've been doing clinically. You don't need to chase heavy weight to get strong. You need to chase effort.

The fundamentals haven't changed. The measurement just caught up.

Had the opportunity to present on surgical repair of partial thickness patellar tendon injuries at the SOA at the SEC co...
03/17/2026

Had the opportunity to present on surgical repair of partial thickness patellar tendon injuries at the SOA at the SEC conference in Nashville last week.

This is a condition that gets missed more than it should. Up to 55% of elite basketball players deal with patellar tendon pathology, and many of these athletes end up retiring from sport because the problem is treated as tendinitis when there is actually a structural tear.

We use MRI measurement with the Popkin-Golman grading system to classify these injuries. When the tear involves more than 50% of the tendon thickness and the athlete has failed a structured rehabilitation program, surgical repair gives them the best path forward.

Our approach combines arthroscopy with osteoplasty of the prominent inferior patella and a mini-open repair technique. We augment the repair with amniotic membrane to support the biologic healing environment, with research showing 3.5x increased tenocyte proliferation and 2.27x increased migration at the repair site.

The goal is always the same: identify the problem accurately, apply the right treatment, and give the athlete their best chance to return to sport and stay there.

Grateful to share this work with team physicians and sports medicine specialists from across the SEC.

Jacob Hardy, ATC presented an important case at the ATPPS 2026 Annual Conference that reminds us: patellar instability i...
03/16/2026

Jacob Hardy, ATC presented an important case at the ATPPS 2026 Annual Conference that reminds us: patellar instability is a 3D problem.

This patient presented to us after a failed MPFL repair with recurrent dislocation just 4 months after surgery. After thorough workup, the real issue became clear: significant bony risk factors.

TT-TG distance 27mm, 7.5 degrees of valgus, and patella alta (CDI 1.4). These are not minor findings.

The surgical plan included tibial tubercle anteromedialization combined with MPFL reconstruction. Address both the geometry and the soft tissue.

The teaching point Jacob Hardy, ATC's presentation underscored: you must address bony morphologic risk factors in addition to the soft tissue pathology. When both are addressed comprehensively, patients do well.

Thank you to Jacob Hardy, ATC, Tommy Drazick, Joshua Pratt, and everyone at Ochsner-Andrews Sports Medicine for outstanding collaborative care.

Published in Clinical Practice in Athletic Training.

Our technique for applying Arthrex Amnion™ Matrix to the quad tendon harvest site during ACL reconstruction was featured...
03/16/2026

Our technique for applying Arthrex Amnion™ Matrix to the quad tendon harvest site during ACL reconstruction was featured on the Orthopaedic Video Theater at this year's AAOS Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

Quadriceps tendon autograft is increasingly favored for ACL reconstruction because of its robust mechanical properties and reduced donor site morbidity. However, harvest site complications remain a real consideration: re**us femoris retraction, persistent quadriceps atrophy, and delayed neuromuscular recovery can all affect the timeline for getting back to sport.

Our approach uses Arthrex Amnion™ Matrix applied directly to the quad tendon harvest site as a biologic adjunct. Amniotic tissue provides anti-inflammatory properties, serves as a scaffold for tissue regeneration, and contains growth factors that promote tendon healing and reduce adhesion. The goal is to optimize donor site healing so the patient can focus on their ACL recovery, not the harvest site.

The OVT video illustrates the case of a 23-year-old male athlete undergoing ACL reconstruction with quad tendon autograft and amnion augmentation, walking through graft harvest, membrane application, and post-operative rehabilitation.

🔗 Watch the full video:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0wp24k6c1M
Arthrex: https://www.arthrex.com/resources/VID1-005775-en-US/use-of-arthrex-amnion-matrix-in-quad-tendon-acl-reconstruction

Co-authors: Tommy Drazick, MD, Savannah Knighton, MAL, ATC, OTC, Luke Bunch, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS

Deontae Camel is a running back at St. Michael the Archangel High School in Baton Rouge, LA. Last year, he sustained a d...
03/16/2026

Deontae Camel is a running back at St. Michael the Archangel High School in Baton Rouge, LA. Last year, he sustained a devastating knee injury that turned out to be a torn ACL.

After his ACL reconstruction, Deontae worked extremely hard in rehab with our team at Ochsner-Andrews Sports Medicine Institute to get back to peak form. It wasn't always easy, and there were days he didn't want to come in. But he remained dedicated and consistent, and his hard work paid off.

His first game back against Folsom, Deontae scored three touchdowns, rushed for 124 yards on 14 carries, and helped lead the Warriors to an 8-4 season and LHSAA Division II Select playoff appearance.

In his own words: "Stay positive, stay committed to your recovery. You're going to be better than you were before."

Proud of this young man. Full video and story on the blog.

St. Michael the Archangel High School Football | Ochsner Health | Ochsner Ortho

Proud of our team member Chloe Roy for presenting her poster at the 2026 ATPPS Annual Conference in Cincinnati this past...
03/13/2026

Proud of our team member Chloe Roy for presenting her poster at the 2026 ATPPS Annual Conference in Cincinnati this past week.

Her poster, "Performance on the Timed Single-Leg Step-Down Test is Correlated with Hip and Knee Biomechanics as Measured by 3D Markerless Motion Capture," addresses a question we think about every day: can a simple, timed functional test tell us something meaningful about how an athlete actually moves?

Using 3D markerless motion capture in 20 healthy high school athletes, Chloe and our research team found that timed single-leg step-down performance was significantly correlated with hip and knee biomechanics in the frontal and transverse planes.

Athletes who performed more repetitions demonstrated better control of knee abduction and hip internal rotation, two movement patterns closely linked to ACL injury risk.

The clinical takeaway: a 60-second timed step-down test may serve as a practical screening tool for identifying athletes with higher-risk movement patterns before injury occurs.

This was a true team effort, with Ghislain Aminake, MD, from Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Institute in London, Ontario playing a major role in driving this project forward alongside Chloe.

Chloe is our research data coordinator for Ortho, MSK, and Therapy & Wellness at our Elite location in Baton Rouge, and a great example of the impact young researchers can have when given the opportunity to engage in meaningful clinical research early in their careers.

Representing Ochsner-Andrews Sports Medicine Institute

Your muscles are disappearing. And most people don't realize it until something goes wrong.After age 30, you lose 3-8% o...
03/12/2026

Your muscles are disappearing. And most people don't realize it until something goes wrong.

After age 30, you lose 3-8% of your muscle mass per decade. After 60, the rate accelerates. The medical term is sarcopenia, and it's one of the most important predictors of falls, fractures, surgical complications, and loss of independence in older adults (Volpi et al., Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care, 2004; Cruz-Jentoft et al., Age Ageing, 2019).

As an orthopedic surgeon, I operate on people from 10 to 85. One of the most important predictors of how well someone recovers from knee surgery isn't age. It's preoperative muscle strength. A systematic review found that preoperative quadriceps strength is among the strongest predictors of functional outcomes 6 months after total knee arthroplasty (Devasenapathy et al., Phys Ther, 2019).

The good news: the ACSM recommends resistance training on 2-3 days per week for each major muscle group (Garber et al., Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2011). Mix in eccentric and isometric exercises, which research shows are especially beneficial for tendon health (Rio et al., Br J Sports Med, 2015). You don't need a fancy gym. Bodyweight exercises are a great place to start. Compound movements, progressive overload, 30-45 minutes. That's the floor.

Resistance training also strengthens your bones, tendons, and ligaments. The idea that lifting is "bad for your joints" is exactly backwards. As a surgeon, I'd rather see you in the gym than in my office.

Start with bodyweight if you need to. Add weight gradually. Be consistent. Your future self will thank you. Swipe through to see the data.

If you follow sports medicine or regenerative health, you've probably heard about therapeutic peptides like BPC-157, TB-...
03/10/2026

If you follow sports medicine or regenerative health, you've probably heard about therapeutic peptides like BPC-157, TB-500, and GHK-Cu. They're everywhere right now, from social media to supplement shops.

Here's what we actually know from the peer-reviewed literature:

The preclinical data is interesting. In animal models, BPC-157 has shown improved healing in tendons, ligaments, and muscle. It enhanced MCL ligament repair across multiple routes of administration and accelerated Achilles tendon recovery (Cerovecki et al., J Orthop Res, 2010; Sikiric et al., Pharmaceuticals, 2026).

But here's the honest picture: there are currently zero published human clinical trials for BPC-157 in orthopedic applications. No FDA approval. And a multi-billion-dollar peptide industry that is growing far faster than the evidence supporting it.

A recent editorial in Arthroscopy, one of the top journals in our field, called on orthopedic surgeons to stay informed, because patients and athletes will continue to seek these treatments regardless (DeFoor & Dekker, Arthroscopy, 2024).

And a comprehensive review in JAAOS concluded plainly: "Although preclinical studies are promising, there is a current lack of clinical trials" (Rahman et al., JAAOS Global R&R, 2026).

My take: Dismissing emerging science because it's new isn't evidence-based either. The preclinical data warrants our attention. The clinical gap warrants our patience. I give my patients honest answers about what we know and what we don't, and I'm following this data closely.

When the human trials come, surgeons who've been paying attention will be ready to lead the conversation. The field is moving fast. Don't get left behind.

Swipe through the slides for a quick breakdown of the evidence.

Proud of our team member Savannah Knighton for presenting at the 2026 ATPPS Annual Conference in Cincinnati this past we...
03/09/2026

Proud of our team member Savannah Knighton for presenting at the 2026 ATPPS Annual Conference in Cincinnati this past week.

Her presentation, "Moving Beyond the ACL: The Role of Rotatory Knee Stabilizers on ACL Injuries and Treatment," tackled one of the most important concepts in ACL surgery: rotatory instability.

The ACL gets all the attention, but successful outcomes depend on understanding the structures around it. Savannah broke down the three critical factors we focus on when addressing rotatory instability:

1. Meniscus status, including root integrity
2. The anterolateral complex and its contribution to rotational control
3. Posterior tibial slope and its biomechanical influence

She also presented our Loop and Tack lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) technique with all suture anchors for patients with persistent rotatory instability.

Savannah is a residency-trained athletic trainer and one of the hardest-working, most intelligent clinicians in our group. She represents the caliber of athletic trainers making an impact across orthopaedics and sports medicine today. When ATs are embedded in a physician practice setting and given the opportunity to engage at this level, the entire care team benefits.

Representing Ochsner-Andrews Sports Medicine Institute

Proud to share that Tommy Drazick, MD, our orthopaedic research fellow, presented our technique for ACL reconstruction u...
03/08/2026

Proud to share that Tommy Drazick, MD, our orthopaedic research fellow, presented our technique for ACL reconstruction utilizing all-suture button femoral fixation with loop and tack lateral extra-articular tenodesis at the AAOS 2026 Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

The Orthopaedic Video Theater (OVT) is one of the premier presentation formats at AAOS. Accepted videos are narrated 4K surgical technique demonstrations, eligible for publication in the Journal of the AAOS and continuing medical education designation.

What makes this technique unique is the fixation strategy. On the femoral side, we use a novel all-suture cortical button, completely eliminating metal from ACL graft fixation. This removes the weak metal-suture interface of traditional designs and eliminates concerns about hardware prominence, metal sensitivity, and MRI artifact. The all-suture design allows for artifact-free postoperative imaging, especially important for younger athletes. We recently published this technique in Arthroscopy Techniques with Dr. Rachel Frank and colleagues.

For the LET, we use an Arthrex double-loaded knotless anchor with our "loop and tack" method: one suture limb is pulled through the graft with a free needle and looped back around, creating a rip-stop effect for stronger fixation and more precise tensioning. Dr. Adam Anz developed this concept at the Andrews Research and Education Foundation.

Drazick came to us at Ochsner Health from the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, where he co-founded 3D-MEDICS and conducted research on ACL tunnel orientation using 3D-CT models. Great to see him representing Ochsner-Andrews Sports Medicine Institute on a national stage.

Co-authors: Rachel Frank, MD, Adam Anz, MD, Justin Mitchell, MD, Aaron Krych, MD, Savannah Knighton, MAL, ATC, Chloe Roy, BS

The quad tendon is becoming one of the most talked-about options in ACL reconstruction, and for good reason.For 30+ year...
03/07/2026

The quad tendon is becoming one of the most talked-about options in ACL reconstruction, and for good reason.

For 30+ years, patellar tendon (BTB) has been the gold standard, and it remains a great graft. I still use it for the right patients. But the biomechanical and clinical data on quad tendon autograft continues to build:

Biomechanics: 2x the cross-sectional area, 38% greater load to failure, 68% greater stiffness, and 20% more collagen density compared to patellar tendon (Shani et al., Arthroscopy, 2016; Hadjicostas et al., Arthroscopy, 2007).

Clinical outcomes: A meta-analysis of 2,962 patients across 32 RCTs found quad tendon superior on key outcome measures compared to both BTB and hamstring (Yang et al., Int Orthop, 2020). A systematic review of 1,154 patients showed a re-rupture rate of just 2.5% for quad tendon vs. 8.7% for hamstring (p = 0.01), with lower donor site complications (Hurley et al., J ISAKOS, 2022).

At AAOS 2026, we presented our work on biologic augmentation of the quad tendon harvest site. This is a graft I've studied, published on, and use for many of my ACL reconstructions, from high school athletes to professionals.

Every patient is different, and graft selection should be individualized. But the evidence on quad tendon keeps getting stronger. Swipe through to see the data.

Address

5444 Burbank Drive
Baton Rouge, LA
70820

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Jeremy Burnham, MD posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category