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About Me

Introducing Scott Pepin, M.D.

Scott Pepin, M.D. is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, arthroscopy, and total joint replacements.

Dr. Scott Pepin’s Approach to Care

“Having my own personal experiences in sustaining injuries and the subsequent recovery process helps provide me insight into my own patients’ conditions and what they are going through. I also understand the importance of and strive to help return my patients back to the activities they want to do, whether that be to walk around the block or return to high-level sports performance.”

Dr. Scott Pepin draws on his own experiences as an athlete

“It may sound cliché, but I have always enjoyed helping people,” grins surgeon Dr. Scott Pepin. When he counsels athletes about their treatment options in his sports medicine practice, his approach is based on firsthand experience.

“I played football, baseball, and basketball in high school,” he explains. “I was playing soccer in gym class when I landed on my knee and dislocated my patella. That was the first of several injuries and four surgeries. I missed my junior year basketball playoffs when I hurt my knee, so I understand how hard it is for athletes to be patient during recuperation—they just want to get back into the game.”

Understanding the unique needs of athletes

During Dr. Pepin’s sports medicine fellowship in Indianapolis, he treated high school, college, and professional athletes. “For the most part,” he says, “high-level athletes are focused on getting back on the field, even when returning to play could be detrimental to their injury. They aren’t thinking about long-term consequences at that age, and sometimes it’s part of my job to say, ‘I understand that you want to get back to your sport, but you are going to have kids in 10 years, and when they are four years old, I want you to be able to get down on the ground and play with them.’ I consider the athlete’s entire life when I discuss treatment options. Some injuries are not serious; in a couple of weeks, your patient is fine and ready to play. But there are a lot of sports injuries where proper treatment and adequate recovery time are critical to proper healing. If you return to your sport too soon, you run the risk of hurting yourself again—and revision surgeries have outcomes that aren’t as good as primary surgeries. I don’t want to cut corners when I’m treating the kind of injury that could affect you for a lifetime.”

Sports medicine for a wide range of ages

Sports medicine may conjure images of young healthy athletes, but Dr. Pepin’s practice includes an age spectrum from teenagers through 70- and 80-year-olds. “My focus is mainly with knee and shoulder injuries—these can be sports related or work related,” he explains. “The knee issues I treat encompass ACL injuries, multiligament reconstructions, meniscus surgeries, and cartilage transplant and restoration procedures. I treat shoulder injuries, including rotator cuff repairs, instability, dislocations, AC separations, and shoulder replacements.

Delivering renewed quality of life

“My fellowship was invaluable in teaching me how to prepare my patients not only for surgery but also for the postsurgical rehabilitation process,” he continues. “Good outcomes are dependent on rehabilitation and recovery as well as the surgery itself. An ACL procedure is an hour long; it’s important, but it’s a snapshot in a total recovery process that can take up to a year. Before patients undergo surgery, I lay things out so they are mentally prepared for what to expect afterward and what they are going to have to do to get the best outcome.

“My satisfaction comes from helping my patients maximize their quality of life so they can do the things they want to do, whether that’s playing basketball again or just walking to the mailbox without pain,” he concludes. “That’s what I enjoy.”

Education

Undergraduate Studies

Hamline University — St.Paul, MN

Medical School

University of Minnesota Medical School — Minneapolis, MN

Residency

Indiana University Department of Orthopaedic Surgery — Indianapolis, IN

Fellowship

OrthoIndy Sports Medicine
— Indianapolis, IN

Certification

  • Subspecialty certification in sports medicine, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery

Professional Memberships

  • American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM)
  • American Orthopaedic Association Emerging Leaders Program (AOA)
  • American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
  • Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANM)

Awards

  • Mpls.St.Paul Magazine Rising Star recognition: 2022–2024

Team Medical Coverage

  • Team Physician for Park High School — Cottage Grove, MN

Conditions We Treat

Common Treatments

My Team

My Team

At Summit, each physician works alongside a team of professionals to care for you, our patient.

Reviews

Articles

Resources

Resources

Patient Education

Knee Animated Conditions and Treatments Library

Shoulder Animated Conditions and Treatments Library

Publications

Original Articles

  1. Pepin SR, Wijdicks CA, Griffith CJ, Goerke U, McNulty M, Parker J, Carlson C, Ellermann J, LaPrade RF. A Comparative Analysis of 7.0-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Histology Measurements of Knee Articular Cartilage in a Canine Posterolateral Knee Injury Model: A Preliminary Analysis. Am J Sports Med. 2009 Nov;37 Suppl 1:119S-24S.
  2. Pepin SR, Farr J. Straight anteriorization of the tibial tuberosity in patients with normal patellar alignment. Manuscript in progress
  3. Cole BJ, Yanke AB, Pepin SR, Farr J. Bone bridge technique. In: Getgood A, Spalding T, Cole BJ, Gersoff WK, Verdonk PC, eds. Meniscal Allograft Transplantation: A Comprehensive Review. Surrey, UK: DJO Publications; 2015.

Abstracts/Conference Presentations

  1. Pepin SR, McCarroll T, Maiers GP. Surgeon radiation exposure during hip arthroscopy. Presented at Indiana University Dept. of Orthopaedics Garceau-Wray conference on June 7, 2013. Also presented at Indiana Orthopedic Society 2014 Annual Meeting on April 12, 2014.
  2. Pepin SR, Wijdicks CA, Griffith CJ, Goerke U, Michaeli S, McNulty M, Parker J, Carlson C, Ellermann J, LaPrade RF. Comparison of 7.0 Tesla MRI and histology measurements in knee articular cartilage in an in vivo canine model. Presented at ORS 2009 March.
  3. Griffith CJ, LaPrade RF, Pepin SR, Wijdicks CA, Goerke U, Michaeli S, Ellermann J. Untreated posterolateral knee injuries: biomechanical and MRI evaluation of in vivo canine model. Presented at ORS 2009 March.

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