Biography

John Conway, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and fellowship-trained sports medicine specialist in shoulder and elbow care. He serves as a clinician, surgeon, and professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

Dr. Conway treats both primary and complex shoulder and elbow injuries in Houston through open and arthroscopic surgery. As a nationally recognized orthopedic surgeon, he brings expertise in upper extremity sports medicine, baseball medicine, and complex reconstruction. In addition, he has earned distinction as an authority on overhead athlete injuries and advances the field through innovative research, peer-reviewed publications, and ongoing education of residents and fellows.

He completed a sports medicine fellowship at the renowned Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles. Furthermore, he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons, and an active member of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the Arthroscopy Association of North America. He also serves on the American Journal of Sports Medicine editorial board and previously led the Major League Baseball Team Physicians Association as president.

Dr. Conway has earned national recognition with honors, including the James R. Andrews Excellence in Baseball Sports Medicine Award and the Jack C. Hughston Sports Physicians Award. Moreover, he has been named among the Top 20 North American Shoulder Surgeons and the Top 19 U.S. Sports Medicine Surgeons. Best Doctors in America, Texas Super Doctors, and U.S. News & World Report’s Top Doctors list also consistently recognize his expertise in orthopedic surgery.

Currently, he serves as a team physician for Texas A&M University, an orthopedic consultant for the University of Houston, and an assistant team physician for Justin Sports Medicine. Previously, he served as head team physician for the Texas Rangers for 13 years, team physician for the University of Texas at Arlington for 25 years, and consultant for Texas Christian University for 12 years. In addition to his clinical work, he is a prolific researcher and educator who has authored more than 70 publications and delivered over 300 presentations worldwide.

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

 He is currently seeing and welcoming new patients at our clinic in the Texas Medical Center. You can click here to make an appointment.  

Education

Undergraduate Degree
Baylor University, Waco, Texas
Medical Degree
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, 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
Orthopaedic Sports Medicine, Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic, Inglewood, California

Areas of Interest

Clinical Interests

Elbow 

  • Thrower’s elbow 
  • Tommy John surgery (UCL reconstruction) 
  • Ligament injury 
  • Instability – acute and chronic 
  • Fractures and dislocations 
  • Osteochondritis dissecans 
  • Impingement 
  • Motion loss – degenerative or traumatic 
  • Loose bodies 
  • Biceps and triceps tendon rupture 
  • Tendinopathy / Epicondylitis 
  • Neuropathy 
  • Arthritis 

 

Shoulder 

  • Overhead athlete shoulder 
  • Instability – acute and chronic 
  • Revision and bone loss 
  • Impingement 
  • Rotator cuff tear 
  • Biceps tendon injury 
  • Early osteoarthritis 
  • Motion loss 
  • AC joint injury 
  • SC joint injury 
  • Clavicle fracture 
  • Snapping scapula syndrome 

Publications

Visit the PubMed profile page

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.