Before becoming an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Ballinger played defensive tackle for Stanford University’s Division I football team. He also spent several years coaching high school football, giving him a personal perspective on the athletes he treats. He specializes in trauma care, arthroscopic knee and shoulder surgery, Oxford partial knee replacement and total joint replacement for the hip, knee and shoulder.
Dr. Ballinger is a vocal advocate for those who are weeded out of companies because their long-term injuries call for employment benefits. “Some companies don’t give out insurance to employees until they’ve worked for six months, so you can weed out almost everybody who’s going to get carpal tunnel because they’ll have it in six months,” he said in an interview with the North Coast Journal. “And they’ll say, ‘Well, you don’t get any benefits until you’ve been working here for six months. So goodbye.'”
He would like to see workplaces take care of their employees before injuries start, preferably by lessening repetitive physical strain. An involved and respected member of his community, Dr. Ballinger was voted Nacogdoches “best medical specialist” in 2007 by local residents.
Dr. Ballinger received his MD from University of California in Irvine and completed his residency at the same university. He is board certified in orthopedic surgery.
Read more on notable orthopedic and spine leaders.
–Orthopedic and Spine Industry Leader to Know: Dr. Thomas Graham of Cleveland Clinic
–Orthopedic and Spine Industry Leader to Know: Dr. Ken Pettine
