Massimo Petrera MD, FRCSC is a member of Summit Health’s Orthopedic and Sports Medicine team. Dr. Petrera pursued a career in sports medicine because he is passionate about sports, and grew up playing soccer and tennis. Dr. Petrera is interested in helping recreational and professional athletes recover from injuries.

As an orthopedic surgeon trained in arthroscopic surgery, Dr. Petrera treats sports-related injuries that require surgery using arthroscopic and minimally invasive techniques. The most common injuries he treats are ligamentous injury of the knee (ACL, PCL and multi-ligament, meniscus injury), shoulder injury, including rotator cuff and instability, ankle injuries including Achilles tendons rupture and ankle instability.

Additionally, Dr. Petrera also specializes in joint preservation and cartilage restoration, including osteochondral allograft and autograft transfer as well as chondrocyte implantation. He also uses orthobiologics, such as platelet rich plasma and bone marrow concentrate to treat sports injuries and early arthritis. Dr. Petrera is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

“I like to treat patients with compassion, dignity and respect, being empathetic and sharing the decision-making process. I provide the patient with the highest level of care possible and make myself available and approachable to patients”, says Dr. Petrera.

What’s most important to the doctor during a patient visit is to listen to the patient, understand their needs and goals, and educate them to be able to make a decision on treatment. He enjoys being able to see the results of what he does and finds it gratifying to see his patients return to playing sports or doing what they love.

Outside of treating patients, Dr. Petrera enjoys soccer, tennis, cycling, traveling, and art history. He is interested in educating the community about living a healthy life, and preventing injuries. Aside from numerous research studies and published articles, his objective for the future is to continue research in cartilage repair and regeneration, aiming to find a “biological” solution to treat arthritis and lead the way to biologic arthroplasty.