Biography

Dr. John Conway is a Board Certified and Fellowship-trained Sports Medicine Orthopedic Surgeon practicing in Houston, Texas as an Associate Professor at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth Houston). Dr. Conway specializes in sports and active lifestyle medicine, with a clinical and research emphasis on upper extremity sports medicine, baseball medicine, and complex shoulder and elbow reconstruction. He is nationally recognized as an authority on shoulder and elbow injuries in overhead athletes.

In 1990, Dr. Conway completed a Sports Medicine Fellowship at the renowned Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles, California. He is Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery, a Diplomat of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is an active member of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the Arthroscopy Association of North America. He is also an active member of the Editorial Board for the American Journal of Sports Medicine, an emeritus member and past President of the Major League Baseball Team Physicians Association and he has served on the Board of Directors for the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.

Dr. Conway’s notable achievements include receiving prestigious awards such as the James R. Andrews Excellence in Baseball Sports Medicine Award from the American Sports Medicine Institute in 2010 and the Jack C. Hughston Sports Physicians Award from the American Physical Therapy Association / SPTS in 2016. His recognition within the medical community is evident as he was selected by his peers and featured in various esteemed publications. In 2015, Orthopedics This Week acknowledged him as one of the Top 20 North American Shoulder Surgeons, and in 2013 as one of the Top 19 U.S. Sports Medicine Surgeons. His reputation continued to grow, as he was also described as one of the “59 Great Orthopedic Surgeons Recommended by Healthcare Leaders” in Becker’s Orthopedic and Spine Review in 2015. His consistent excellence is reflected in his frequent appearances as a Top Doctor in US News and World Report. Furthermore, he has been a fixture in the Best Doctors in America list since 1996 and a recognized figure in Texas Super Doctors since 2004. Currently, Dr. Conway is also actively involved in the orthopedic care of the athletes at the University of Houston (UofH) Athletics.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Dr. Conway is married and has two daughters.

Education

Undergraduate Degree
Baylor University, Waco, Texas
Medical Degree
University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas
Internship
Internal Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
Internship
Fort Worth Affiliated Hospitals Program, Fort Worth, Texas
Residency
Orthopedic Surgery, Fort Worth Affiliated Hospitals Program, Fort Worth, Texas
Fellowship
Sports Medicine, Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic, Inglewood, California

Areas of Interest

Clinical Interests

SHOULDER

  • Open and Arthroscopic Surgery
  • Thrower’s shoulder
  • Overhead athlete’s shoulder
  • Instability
  • Impingement
  • Rotator Cuff Tear
  • Rotator Cuff Repair
  • Superior Capsule Reconstruction
  • Arthritis
  • AC Joint Injury
  • Biceps Tunnel Disease
  • SC Joint Injury
  • Fractures
  • Scapula Injury
  • Snapping Scapula Syndrome

ELBOW

  • Open and Arthroscopic Surgery
  • Thrower’s elbow
  • Tommy John Surgery
  • Impingement
  • Osteochondritis Dissecans
  • Neuropathy
  • Tendinopathy
  • Epicondylitis
  • Biceps Rupture
  • Triceps Rupture
  • Dislocation
  • Instability – acute & chronic
  • Ligament Injury
  • Arthritis
  • Loose Bodies
  • Contracture
  • Fractures
  • Post-trauma Pain

Publications

JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS
Garrison JC, Hannon J, Conway JE. No Differences in Hip Range of Motion Exists Between Baseball Players with an Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tear and Healthy Baseball Players. Int J Sports Phys Ther 2019. Accepted for publication.

Whitt S, Garrison JC, Creed K, Giesler L, Conway JE. Baseball players diagnosed with UCL tears demonstrate greater side-to-side differences in passive glenohumeral abduction range of motion compared to healthy controls. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2019;14(3):6 pages.

Culiver A, Garrison JC, Creed KM, Conway JE, Goto S, Werner S. Correlation among Y Balance Test-Lower Quarter Composite Scores, Hip Musculoskeletal Characteristics, and Pitching Kinematics in NCAA Division I Baseball Pitchers. J Sport Rehabil. 2018. Jan 24:1-21 doi: 10.1123/jsr.2017-0111.

Meyer C, Garrison JC, Conway JE. Baseball Players with an Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tear Display Increased Nondominant Arm Humeral Torsion Compared to Healthy Baseball Players. Am J Sports Med. 2017;(1):144-149.

Lee BJ, Garrison JC, Conway JE, Pollard K, Aryal S. The Relationship Between Humeral Retrotorsion and Shoulder Range of Motion in Baseball Players with an Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tear. Orthop J Sport Med. 2016 Oct 10;4(10):2325967116667497

Taylor SA, Rumkumar PN, Fabricant PD, Dines JS, Gausden E, White A, Conway JE, O’Brien SJ. The Clinical Impact of Bicipital Tunnel Decompression During Long Head of the Biceps Tendon Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Arthroscopy. 2016;32(6):1155-64.

Garrison JC, Johnston C, Conway JE. Baseball Players with Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tears Demonstrate Decreased Rotator Cuff Strength Compared to Healthy Controls. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2015;10(4):467-81

Noll S, Garrison JC, Bothwell J, Conway JE. Knee Extension Range of Motion at 4 Weeks is Related to Knee Extension Loss at 12 Weeks after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. Orthop J Sports Med. 2015;3(5)

Hannon J, Garrison JC, Conway J. Lower Extremity Balance is Improved at Time of Return to Throwing in Baseball Players with an Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tear when Compared to Pre-operative Measurements. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2014:9(3):356-64.

Garrison JC, Bothwell J, Cohen K, Conway J. Effects of Hip Strengthening on Early Outcomes Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2014;9(2):157-67.

Hannon JP, Garrison JC, Conway JE. Residents Case Study: Deep Vein Thrombosis in a High School Baseball Pitcher Following Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2013;8(4):472-481.

Garrison JC, Arnold A, Macko MJ, Conway JE. Baseball Players Diagnosed with Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injuries Demonstrate Decreased Balance Compared to Healthy Controls. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2013;43(10):752-758.

Garrison JC, Cole MA, Conway JE, Macko MA, Thigpen C, Shanley E. Shoulder Range of Motion Deficits in Baseball Players with an Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tear. Am J Sports Med. 2012;40(11):2597-603.

Cooper DE, Conway JE. Distal Semitendinosis Ruptures in Elite-level Athletes: Low Success Rates of Nonoperative Treatment. Am J Sports Med. 2010;38(6):1174-1178.

Dines JS, ElAttrache NS, Conway JE, Smith W, Ahmad AS. Clinical Outcomes of the DANE TJ Technique to Treat Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Insufficiency of the Elbow. Am J Sports Med. 2007;35(12):2039-44.

Conway JE. The DANE TJ Procedure for Elbow Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Insufficiency. Tech Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2006;7(1):36-43.

Mazzocca AD, Conway JE, Johnson SJ, Rios CG, Dumonski ML, Santangelo SA, Arciero RA. The Anatomic Coracoclavicular Ligament Reconstruction. Operative Tech Sports Med. 2004;12(1):56-61.

Conway JE, Singleton SB. Posterolateral Rotatory Instability of the Elbow. Sports Med and Arthroscopy Rev., 2003;11(1):71-78.

Conway, JE. The Management of Partial Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears in Throwers. Operative Tech Sports Med., 2002;10(2):75-85.

Conway JE, Lowe WR. Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction of the Elbow. Operative Tech Sports Med., 2001;9(4):196-204.

Conway JE. Arthroscopic Repair of Partial Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears and SLAP Lesions in Professional Baseball Players. (Reprinted) Orthop Clin North Amer. 2001;32:443-456.

Conway JE. Arthroscopic Repair of Partial Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears and SLAP Lesions in Professional Baseball Players. Operative Tech Sports Med. 2000;8(4):281-292.

Conway JE. Clinical Evaluation of Elbow Injuries in the Athlete. J Musculoskel Med 1998;15(10):43-52.

Shaffer B, Conway J, Jobe F, Kvitne RS, Tibone J. Infraspinatus-splitting Incision in Posterior Shoulder Surgery: An Anatomic and Electromyographic Study. Amer J Sports Med 1994;22:113-120.

Conway JE, Crofford TW, Terry AF, Protzman RR: Cauda Equina Syndrome Occurring Nine Years Following Gun Shot Wound to the Spine: A Case Report. J Bone Joint Surg 1992;75A:760-763.

Conway JE, Jobe FW, Glousman RE, Pink M: Medial Instability of the Elbow in Throwing Athletes: Treatment by Ulnar Collateral Ligament Repair or Reconstruction. J Bone Joint Surg 1992;74A:67-83.

Conway JE, Watson KW: Ultrasonographic Detection of Incomplete Rotator Cuff Tears. Orthop Trans 1987;11:585.