Michael Khazzam, M.D.

Meet Dr. Khazzam

Shoulder Injury Specialist

Board-certified orthopaedic surgeon Michael Khazzam, M.D., specializes in evaluating and treating atraumatic and traumatic shoulder injuries. These include all forms of shoulder pain and injury, from shoulder arthritis and degenerative problems to rotator cuff tears, shoulder dislocations and instability, and complex shoulder disorders. He also routinely takes care of common sports-related problems such as golf shoulder injury, tennis shoulder injury, and bench press shoulder injury.

"Shoulder injuries run the gamut. Our team works in concert to relieve what for some may have been agony going on for years and for others might be an injury that just happened at that day’s game.”

As a member of UT Southwestern’s Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service team, Dr. Khazzam uses his advanced orthopaedics training to provide highly individualized care for patients of all ages and activity levels, from amateur athletes to seasoned pros and beyond. 

His expertise includes the latest surgical and nonsurgical advancements to alleviate pain and restore function, offering innovative arthroscopic surgery as well as open surgical management procedures, depending on the demands of the disorder. He is uniquely adept at performing revision shoulder surgery, total shoulder replacements, and reverse total shoulder replacements – which are complex surgeries needed for only the severest injuries.

Dr. Khazzam received his training in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Missouri-Columbia before completing a fellowship in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

Prior to these medical pursuits, though, he received his first academic degree at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and for a time he was a professional studio musician. He says his transition from musician to physician was not as much of a departure as it might at first seem.

“For me, the disciplines of music and medicine are not so dissimilar,” he says. “They share in requiring responsibility, accountability, dedication, and, for sure, a certain passion.”

Dr. Khazzam carries over his passion into clinical research as well, where he operates a robust program aimed at enhancing treatments for orthopaedic injuries and conditions.