Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center

The journey from a small town in Iowa to North Texas cannot be measured only in miles. For Dr. Todd Johnson, it was about aspirations too, the ability to see beyond the small-town city limits to pursue a career dedicated to “fixing” people.

It has been more than 30 years since Dr. Johnson fulfilled his ambition of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. His Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Practice in Rockwall, Richardson and Garland is among the most highly regarded in the state.

A lot has changed from the time he first started practicing. Medical science and technology have made a quantum leap so that injuries to the knee, hip, shoulder and other joints are no longer disabling.

“Surgical techniques are better,” Dr. Johnson said. “Implants and materials are better. There is a volume of research and science behind it.”

And don’t let the sports medicine aspect of his practice dissuade you from seeking his counsel. Dr. Johnson said he has patients of all ages. “You can jump off a tractor and injure your knee the same way as playing football, basketball, soccer,” he said.

He sees those “weekend warriors” who forget they are not as young as they used to be and his patients include more women, especially young soccer players.

He does oversee orthopedic care of high school athletes in Rockwall and Garland. He is a fixture at “Friday Night Lights” and has sometimes treated a few generations of the same family.

He was an athlete himself, who played football and wrestled until injuries cut short his sports career. But it has given him additional insight into the world of orthopedic medicine. He said his patients are better informed nowadays, having researched their condition online. “A lot of them are educated and they do a vetting of the doctor, checking out the reviews.”

Dr. Johnson grew up in Humboldt, Iowa, a community of about 4,500 people that he said had one family doctor and one surgeon. “It’s a town where you became a farmer, banker, brick layer, like my father, or worked in construction. I knew I wanted to get out of Humboldt.”

Dr. Johnson’s older brother was pursuing a career in medicine until he died in an accident when he was twenty-eight years old. Todd Johnson picked up the baton, attending the University of Iowa, “where there were all kinds of doctors in school. That’s when I decided I wanted to look at someone and be able to fix them.”

He attended the university’s medical school after receiving an undergraduate degree and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery. He then completed his fellowship in sports medicine, reconstructive procedures and joint replacement at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio in 1996.

He still has ties to the mid-west. His daughter Nicole works for the Kansas City Chiefs and scored some tickets so her family got to go Super Bowl LIV in Miami last year. The Chiefs were back in the Super Bowl and Dr. Johnson got to go to the game again this year!