James Lee Pace, MD
Orthopedic Sports Medicine Surgeon
- Languages Spoken:
- English
Biography
Lee Pace, M.D., is an orthopedic surgeon at Children’s Health℠ Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine. He specializes in minimally invasive procedures as well as complex reconstructive surgery for orthopedic and sports injuries.
In addition to his patellofemoral interests, Dr. Pace performs other unique surgical procedures such as meniscus transplantation, complex ligament and cartilage reconstruction as well as surgical and non-surgical treatment for a broad scope of shoulder, knee, hip and other sports-related issues.
Dr. Pace is the fellowship director for the Orthopedic Sports Medicine Fellowship at Children’s Health Andrews Institute. His current research interests include trochlear dysplasia and clinical outcomes of various surgical procedures. Dr. Pace is the recipient of numerous awards, including Super Doctor, Rising Star and Top Doctor recognition with 60+ scientific publications and 200+ scientific presentations and invited lectures. He is a member of multiple professional national and international societies and is a founding member and steering committee chair for the MEniscus Replacement, Conservation and REpair (MERCuRE, pronounced “Mercury”) Study Group.
During his free time, Dr. Pace enjoys spending time with his wife and children. They enjoy getting outdoors, skiing/snowboarding, traveling to national parks and seeing how many birthday parties and soccer games they can attend in a single weekend.
Education and Training
- Medical School
- Boston University School of Medicine (2005)
- Internship
- University of Washington (2006), General Surgery
- Residency
- University of Washington (2010), Orthopaedic Surgery
- Fellowship
- Boston Children's Hospital (2012), Sports Medicine
Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles (2011), Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery - Board Certification
- American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
Conditions
- Acetabular labral (hip) tear
- Ankle impingement
- Ankle instability and sprains (twisted ankle)
- Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury
- Articular cartilage injury
- Femoral anteversion
- Fractures
- Growth plate injuries
- Hip impingement
- Kneecap instability and dislocation
- Meniscus tears
- Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD)
- Overuse injuries
- Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury
- Shoulder instability and dislocation
- Sports injuries
- Trochlear dysplasia
- Knee collateral ligament injuries
- Cartilage defects
- Labral tears of the shoulder
- Patella alta
- Patellofemoral syndrome
- Lateral patellar compression syndrome
- Discoid meniscus
- Meniscus deficiency
- Leg malalignment (knee varus or valgus)
Treatments
- Trochleoplasty
- Medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction
- ACL reconstruction and repair
- Meniscus repair
- Meniscus transplantation
- Osteochondral allograft
- Matrix associated autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI)
- Hip labral repair
- Hip femoral and acetabular osteoplasty
- Hip labral reconstruction
- Osteotomy
- Shoulder stabilization
- Fracture care
Departments and Programs
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Research Interests
- Meniscus transplantation
- Complex ligament and cartilage reconstruction
- Surgical and non-surgical treatment for a broad scope of shoulder, knee, hip and other sports-related issues
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Publications
- Pace JL. Skiing. In: Solomon R, Solomon J (Eds.) The Micheli Center Manual 1st Ed, 2013. Boston, MA: Children’s Sport Medicine Foundation, 2013, pp. 145-152.
- Pace JL, Heyworth BE, Kocher MS. ACL Reconstruction in Skeletally Immature Athletes. In: ElAttrache N, Limpisvasti O (Eds.) AAOS Monograph Series: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery: Evolving Concepts. Rosemont, IL: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2013.
- Pace JL, Hennrikus WL, Kocher MS. Surgical Treatment of Patellar Instability in the Skeletally Immature Athlete. In: West RV, Colvin AC (Eds.) The Patellofemoral Joint in the Athlete. New York, NY: Springer Science + Business Media, 2014, pp. 59-76.
- Goldstein RY, Pace JL, Skaggs DL. Medial Epicondyle Fracture, Elbow Dislocations and Transphyseal Separations. In: Abzug JM, Kozin SH, Zlotolow DA (Eds.) The Pediatric Upper Extremity. Philadelphia, PA: Springer, 2015.
- Pace JL, Kocher MS. ACL Reconstruction in Skeletally Immature Patients. In: Skaggs DL, Kocher MS (Eds) Masters Techniques in Orthopedic Surgery: Pediatrics. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, 2015.
- Pace JL, Kocher MS. Skeletally Immature ACL Reconstruction. In: Malhotra R, Apsingi S, Eachempati KK, Gautam D (Eds.) Mastering Orthopedic Techniques. Knee Reconstruction. New Dehli, India: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishing, 2016.
- Trentacosta N, Pace JL. Shoulder Injuries. In: Martus JE (Ed) Orthpaedic Knowledge Update 5 Pediatrics. Rosemont, IL: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2016.
- Pace JL, Skaggs DL. Femur fractures in Neonates, Infants and Toddlers. In: Hedequist D, Heyworth BE (Eds.) Pediatric Femur Fractures. Philadelphia, PA: Springer, 2016.
- Trentacosta N, Pace JL. Shoulder Injuries. In: Martus JE (Ed) Orthpaedic Knowledge Update 6 Pediatrics. Rosemont, IL: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2020.
- Weaver A, Ness BM, Roman DP, Giampetruzzi N, Cleland J, Pace JL. Crepeau A, Short Term Isokinetic and Isometric Strength Outcomes after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Adolescents. Phys Ther Sport. 2022 Jan;53:75-83. PMID: 34875528
- Pace JL, Kakazu R, Luczak SB, Grimm NL, Fitsimmons KP, Andrish JT, Farrow LD. Patellar Tendon Imbrication for Patella Alta. Arthrosc Tech. 2021 Dec 20;11(1):e7-e12. PMID: 35127423
- Muench LN, Berthold DP, Archambault S, Slater M, Mehl J, Obopilwe E, Cote MP, Arciero RA, Chahla J, Pace JL. Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Repair Using Cortical or Anchor Fixation With Suture Tape Augmentation vs ACL Reconstruction: A Comparative Biomechanical Analysis. Knee. 2022 Jan;34:76- 88 PMID: 34875498
- Lee RJ, Nepple JJ, Schmale GA,Niu EL, Beck JJ, Milewski MD, Finlayson CJ, Joughin VE, Stinson ZS, Pace JL, PRISM Meniscus Research Interest Group, Albright J, Carsen S, Chambers H, Nault ML, Schlechter JA, Stavinoha TJ, Tompkins M, Wilson PL, Heyworth BE. Reliability of a New Arthroscopic Discoid Lateral Meniscus Classification System: A Multicenter Video Analysis. Am J Sports Med. 2022;Apr;50(5): 1245-1253. PMID:35234542
- Prue J, Roman DP, Geometrize NG, Fredericks A, Lolic A, Crepeau A, Pace JL, Weaver A. Side Effects and Patient Tolerance with the Use of Blood Flow Restriction Training after ACL Reconstruction in Adolescents: A Pilot Study. Int J Phys Ther. 2022 Apr 2;17(3):347-354. PMID: 35391873
- Golz AG, Mandelbaum B, Pace JL, All-Inside Meniscus Repair. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2022 Aug;15(4):252-258. PMID: 35661090
- Luczak SB, Cheng C, Hedgecock JP, Brimacombe M, Pace JL. Patellar Height Correlates Modestly with Trochlear Dysplasia: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis. Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil. 2022 Apr4;4(3):e1031-e1037 PMID: 35747649
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Professional Activities
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine
- Arthroscopy Association of North America
- Meniscus Repair, Conservation and Replacement (MERCuRE) Group: Founding member and Steering Committee Chair
- International Patellofemoral Study Group
- International Cartilage Repair Society
- Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine (PRiSM) Society
- Research in Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Knee (ROCK) Group
- Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America
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Awards and Honors
- Physical Science Student of the Year Nominee 2000, Southern Utah University.
- Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Medical Honor Society 2000, Southern Utah University.
- Pathology Honor Society 2002, Boston University School of Medicine. Awarded to students receiving “Honors” in Pathology course.
- Alpha Omega Alpha 2005, Boston University School of Medicine.
- Who’s Who Among Students in America’s Universities and Colleges 2005, Boston University School of Medicine.
- Christopher G. Gaposchkin, MD Memorial Award 2005, Boston University School of Medicine.
- Washington State Orthopaedic Association Residency Paper Award, 1st Place.
- Washington State Orthopaedic Association Annual Meeting 2008, Seattle, WA.
- American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting 3rd Place Poster Award.
- Magna Cum Laude. Boston University School of Medicine.
- AOSSM Annual Meeting, 2015, Orlando, FL
- Pasadena Top Doctor: 2012-2014, 2016
- Super Doctor: Rising Star, Los Angeles, 2013-2015
- Hartford Top Doctor: 2017, 2020
- Best Pediatric Paper, “Delayed Unions and Functional Outcomes of Pediatric Lateral Condyle Humerus Fractures: A Prospective Study”, 34th Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association, Orlando FL, October 17-20, 2018.
- Top Poster: Lateral Patellar Inclination in Children and Adolescents: Modified Measurement to Characterize Patellar Instability
- Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Annual Meeting
- Atlanta, GA Jan 17th-19th, 2019
- Top Poster: Current Practice Trends in the Surgical Management of Patellofemoral Instability: A Survey of the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine (PRiSM) Society) Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Annual Meeting
- Atlanta, GA Jan 17th-19th, 2019
