About University Orthopedics

Headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, University Orthopedics is a physician-owned regional orthopedic practice serving residents of the tri-state areas of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. The practice was founded in 1965 by Dr. C. Robert Clark, a leading Chattanooga orthopedist and active in promoting the training and development of orthopedic surgeons with emphasis on technical skills and advanced academic preparation. Sustaining these interests Dr. Clark recruited additional orthopedists to the practice, known then as Orthopaedic Associates, then was selected as Chairman of the UT College of Medicine's Orthopaedic Residency program in Chattanooga.

Forty years later it comes as no surprise, then, that the group's multi-specialty physicians serve as the faculty nucleus for the University of Tennessee College of Medicine’s Orthopedic Training Program located on its Chattanooga campus.  University Orthopedics' surgeons have advanced training ("Fellowships") in Total Joint Replacement, Trauma Care, Sports Medicine, as well as intensive preparation in general musculoskeletal care, providing a wealth of highly-skilled experience for treating not only their private patients, but in teaching young residents and interns within the UT College of Medicine programs.

Today, University Orthopedic surgeons provide comprehensive operative and non-operative care for patients. The group's commitment to education and teaching insures the physicians are acutely involved in their own continuing professional development, including the newest techniques and approaches to the management of orthopedic injuries.

The group's Trauma Specialists staff the area's only Level One Trauma Center, managing severe injuries arriving from throughout the region. Patients requiring total joint replacement have the opportunity for minimally-invasive surgical procedures performed by Fellowship-trained surgeons, significantly improving patient outcomes while greatly reducing post-surgical discomfort. Patients with sports-related injuries are attended by Orthopedists who have cared for professional athletes, served on the medical staff of the Atlanta Olympics and studied new techniques at places like the renowned Hughston Clinic or the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

All patients at University Orthopedics have the advantage of rehabilitating after injury or surgery in the group's progressive Physical Therapy Center. Unlike many similar operations, the Physical Therapy Center does not accept referrals from physicians not affiliated with University Orthopedics. This allows the Physical Therapy staff to work directly with the patient's orthopedic surgeon, only a few steps away, in the management of that patient's rehabilitation and recovery, insuring seamless continuity of care and planned patient outcomes.

University Orthopedics' physicians practice in Chattanooga at Memorial Hospital, T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital, Siskin Hospital, Erlanger Medical Center and Parkridge Medical Centers, as well as Rhea Medical Center in Dayton, Tennessee.

The Main Clinic is located at 979 E. Third Street in Chattanooga, with additional satellite offices in the area for patient and referring physician convenience. For directions and phone numbers please refer to the locations tab, or click on the appointments tab to schedule a visit to any of the offices. At any time, call (423) 267-4585 for General Information or assistance.