About
Darryl B Thomas, MD
Board-Certified and Sports Medicine Fellowship-
trained orthopedic surgeon
Dr. Darryl B Thomas is a Board-Certified and Sports Medicine Fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon, who holds an additional Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in Orthopedic Sports Medicine. He has been voted one of Austin Monthly’s “Top Doctors” in Austin for the past 6 years. He was the Chief of the Sports Medicine Department at Baylor Scott & White – Round Rock from 2007-2012, and was in private practice with Allstar Orthopedics of Austin from 2012-2018 before joining Direct Orthopedic Care (DOC). He is also a local semi-professional, university, and high school team physician and performs surgery on all major orthopedic and sports-related injuries, including knee ligament reconstruction, meniscus repair, cartilage restoration, shoulder reconstruction, and rotator cuff repair. His recent area of focus includes robotic knee replacement, leading to more accurate placement and longer-lasting implants, as well as the use of biologic augmentation – using platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell injections to help heal tissue. His goal is to preserve and repair a patient’s own tissue whenever possible, and to augment or replace tissue that has suffered extensive trauma. Overall, he aims to return patients to their pre-injury activity level.
Awards
Training in medical school and orthopedic surgery residency at the world-famous Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dr. Thomas continued his training by attending medical school and orthopedic surgery residency at the world-famous Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. While there, he was the recipient of several medical research awards including those from the National Medical Fellowships and the National Institutes of Health. He then pursued further specialized training by completing a 2-year sports medicine fellowship as a Team Physician for the Division I Varsity and Intramural Athletic Programs at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY. This prestigious fellowship included training at the internationally known Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York, NY and the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Vail, CO. During his fellowship, he also worked with several professional athletic teams including the New York Giants, the New York Mets, the Denver Broncos, the Colorado Rockies, in addition to athletes on the USA winter and summer Olympic Teams, and USA Gymnastics.
Dr. Thomas was born and raised in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area and graduated as Class Valedictorian, National Achievement Scholar, and National Merit Scholar-semifinalist from his high school in Columbia, MD. After high school, Dr. Thomas attended Princeton University in Princeton, NJ on a 4-year full-tuition Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship. While a Biology/Pre-med major, Dr. Thomas spent all 4 years on the Varsity Track & Field Team and earned the Kean-Fitzpatrick Award for the most outstanding high-hurdler, and the Caldwell Fund Scholar-Athlete Award, a $2000/year scholarship for medical school education.
“Dr Thomas has treated me since August 2013. He has remained diligent with a compassionate bedside manor and surgical skills of excellence. His office has had it’s difficulties up front at times, but Dr Thomas is not only a phenomenal surgeon, he’s a genuine man who truly has compassion and his patients by best interest in mind. I cannot recommend him enough.”
– Review by Robert Anthony
Army Career as an Orthopedic Surgeon
In 2006, Dr. Thomas completed a 6-year active duty Army career which included an overseas tour as an orthopedic surgeon at the 121st General Army Hospital and the 135th Forward Surgical Team in Seoul, S. Korea and more recently, a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as the Chief of the Orthopedic Surgery Service at the Army’s 10th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. From 2003-2006, he was an Associate Professor for the academic residency program and Chief of the Orthopedic Surgery Sports Medicine Service at Brooke Army Medical Center at Ft. Sam Houston, TX. There, he taught countless medical students and residents about his passion and interest in the field of sports injuries, while helping thousands of US soldiers with athletic and war-related injuries.
Throughout his career, Dr. Thomas has authored several articles in major orthopedic peer-review journals, and book chapters on orthopedic injuries. An outstanding speaker and teacher, he has made multiple presentations at local, national, and international orthopedic surgery conferences. Dr. Thomas holds several professional memberships including the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA), International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS), and the Society of Military Orthopedic Surgeons (SOMOS), and the Travis County Medical Society (TCMS).
Dr. Thomas lives in Austin and in his spare time he enjoys going to concerts, boating, wakeboarding, snowboarding, and spending time with his wife Kristin, friends, family, and their three dog-children, “Buddy”, “Chuy”, and “Nia.