Dr. Brett Shore is an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine and hip specialist who joined DISC after nearly a decade leading a division at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California. Learn more about Dr. Shore, including his specialties, treatment philosophies and hobbies below:
Video: Meet Dr. Brett Shore
Originally from Pennsylvania, Dr. Shore completed an undergraduate degree in molecular biology at Princeton University before moving on to Columbia University for medical school. Subsequently, he completed an orthopedic residency at the Harvard Combined Program in Boston, Massachusetts, before finishing up his education with a sports medicine subspecialty training with Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama. 
Then Dr. Shore headed to the west coast for a position as a hip specialist at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, where he spent the next decade as the Head of Hip Preservation for nearly five million patients.
Dr. Shore’s specialties include sports medicine, as well as treatments for the shoulder, hip and knee. As a hip specialist, he provides any and all services available for the hip — from teenagers with hip dysplasia and hip impingement all the way up to older patients who have hip arthritis and need hip replacements. Dr. Shore prides himself on providing minimally-invasive total hip replacements through a “bikini incision”, resulting in improved wound healing and where any residual scarring from the surgery is small enough to be concealed in a swimsuit.
His true passion lies with hip preservation, which is where a large portion of his time is spent. Some frequent procedures Dr. Shore performs include:
- Periacetabular osteotomy: For patients with severe hip dysplasia, this procedure realigns their hip and gives them a more functional and longer-lasting hip.
- Arthroscopic hip surgery: This procedure is focused on the treatment of femoral acetabular impingement, or a mismatch in the radius of curvature of the femur (which is a ball) and the acetabulum (which is a socket). Impingement occurs when there is abnormal contact between the ball and socket and often causes tears of the labrum of the acetabulum, both of which can be repaired surgically.
- Labral reconstruction: In this procedure, cadaver tissue is used to make a new labrum for patients.
Dr. Shore has also taken a special interest in treating revision hip arthroscopy. As the field of hip arthroscopy has grown, more and more surgeons are performing this technically difficult procedure. As a result, sometimes not all goals are accomplished during the surgery and patients are left with residual impingement, recurrent labrum tears, and capsular defects. Dr. Shore said it’s extremely gratifying to treat a patient who had a previous procedure and is discouraged and unhappy with the result, identify what should be done differently, and then offer a complete redo of the procedure to give them the best chance of preserving their native hip and continuing to do activities that they enjoy pain free.
Thanks to his unique experience and breadth of pathology he has seen in his decade as the Head of Hip Preservation at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Dr. Shore knows its best to take a holistic approach to caring for his patients. Over time, his practice philosophy has evolved and he knows the importance of keeping patients moving and active and out of pain, because it’s paramount to their physical and mental health.
For Dr. Shore, the most rewarding part of being an orthopedic surgeon is hearing how relieved his patients are, and how exciting it is for them to get back to doing activities and hobbies they didn’t know if they would ever be able to do again.
In his free time, Dr. Shore practices what he preaches by leading an active lifestyle. He enjoys hiking and snowboarding with his family, including his three daughters and his wife (who’s the medical director at DISC!), and seeing live music.
Dr. Shore, who is a new addition to DISC, said his favorite part about working here is the amazing patient care in a safe environment, and the opportunity to collaborate with his skilled and knowledgeable colleagues. They are an “amazing resource” in terms of trying to determine the source of a patient’s pain and their comprehensive approach to patient care is admirable.
“I’m excited to partner with DISC in the formation of our hip center in order to maximize patient outcomes through extensive collaboration and unparalleled patient care,” he said.
