Physician Spotlight on Dr. Brandon Prioreschi

Featured Doctor

Brandon Prioreschi, MD

Get to know Dr. Brandon Prioreschi, hip and knee replacement specialist at Middlesex Orthopedic & Spine Associates.

How did you get interested in orthopedics?

I started medical school thinking I would become a pediatrician. Then, I fell in love with surgery during my first week on surgical rotation. I knew the operating room was where I wanted to be. I love orthopedics because you can fix a problem and restore a quality of life that patients have lost. Generally orthopedic patients are motivated and want to get better.

How did your experience in the Navy shape who you are as a physician today?

Growing up, I always wanted to be in the military. My grandfather and uncle served in the Navy. I studied civil engineering in college and then once I chose medicine, I decided to join the Navy. After serving in the reserves for nine years, I was stationed in Guam and Bremerton, WA for four years of active duty as an orthopedic surgeon. We cared for service members of all ages with injuries ranging from ACL tears and dislocated shoulders to arthritis and fractures, and everything in between.

My experience taught me to treat each patient as a whole instead of focusing on just the injury. You can have two people with identical x-rays showing the same injury who need to be treated completely differently. What a Navy SEAL needs is different from what a middle-aged Naval Officer needs in terms of type and tempo of treatment and how you manage post-operative care. I also learned how to successfully function within a team – sometimes I had to be the leader and other times, the follower. I learned to work seamlessly with those across all fields in the Navy to accomplish our common goal.

What should patients be excited about in orthopedic surgery?

I pride myself on staying up to date on the latest and greatest in orthopedics, and it is always advancing! There have been a lot of developments in ACL injury treatments, mainly with ACL reconstruction surgery. One of the cutting-edge methods I use for ACL repair is a six-strand graft preparation, which not many surgeons do. I think patients should be excited to learn that an ACL injury doesn’t mean their athletic career is over and there are treatments available.

Why should patients see a sports medicine specialist for their injuries and concerns?

As a sports medicine physician, I specialize in helping athletes improve their performance and return to play. I am a former athlete and currently serve as a youth lacrosse coach, so I understand how important it is to return to sports following an injury, especially during the season. I make it a point to try to fit athletes into my schedule to get them back to play as soon as possible, even more so for younger athletes. It’s important to remember that kids and teens shouldn’t have chronic pain, so don’t wait to have your child seen by a specialist!

What are your clinical interests?

My clinical areas of interest include all types of orthopedic sports injuries and anything to do with the shoulder, knee, and hip. I specialize in advanced techniques for arthroscopic and reconstructive shoulder and knee surgery.

In terms of joint replacement, I mainly focus on the knee and hip, but I am seeing an increase in shoulder replacement patients, which parallels joint replacement trends nationwide.

What are your personal interests?

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and staying active with skiing, running, and hiking. I have been a youth lacrosse coach for over 12 years now and really enjoy it.