Elevated Care, Thoughtfully Personalized.
Kristopher Downing, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon board-certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery in both orthopedic surgery and hand surgery who treats patients that are of adolescent age and older. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) and active member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH). He is a founding member and managing partner of Ortho 1 Medical Group. He is the founder of the practice of Upper Extremity Specialists—of Ortho 1 Medical Group in Carlsbad, San Diego, La Jolla, Chula Vista, and Coronado California. Dr. Downing specializes in surgical and nonsurgical orthopedic treatment for injuries and diseases that affect the entire upper extremity, including the shoulder, arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, and hand.
Dr. Downing is a kind, meticulous and patient-focused surgeon. His training, experience, drive and genuine obvious concern for his patients’ welfare aid him in garnering the best possible outcomes for his patients. He gives each patient the time and attention they need, explaining procedures and answering questions relevant to the risks, benefits and alternatives to proposed procedures to ensure that they feel confident under his care. His passion for clinical medicine and truly serving patients’ needs exudes at each patient visit. In addition, he services his patients by remaining up-to-date with his practice which mirrors trends in orthopedic literature and overall evidence-based medicine as well as elevated standards of care trending in orthopedic surgical practices within the United States and internationally, ensuring to his patients his ongoing education and high quality value-based outcomes strived towards as he provides their care.
Personal Interests
Dr. Downing also has a growing family, currently with a wife and three children that he enjoys having consume much of his free time. Also, like his father and younger brother who are both carpenters, Dr. Downing is a human carpenter (doing work on bones and joints and tendons) and also does plumbing (blood vessels related work) and electrical (nerve related work).





