Linnea Welton, M.D.Dual Fellowship-trained Orthopedic Surgeon
Dr. Linnea Welton is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon with dual fellowship training in the fields of hip preservation and sports medicine surgery. She is one of few surgeons who has specialized training in complex hip, knee, and shoulder arthroscopy procedures. She is one of even fewer surgeons with technical expertise in complex bony realignment procedures of the pelvis, femur and tibia.
Common hip conditions Dr. Welton treats are labral tears, hip impingement (FAI), hip dysplasia, and acute hamstring or gluteus medius tendon tears. At the knee, she treats meniscal injuries, cartilage defects, patellar instability, ACL ruptures and multiligament knee injuries. She is experienced with shoulder conditions such as rotator cuff tears, labral tears, shoulder instability, and biceps pathology.
In addition to her surgical practice, she also runs a biologic injection clinic for the management of early osteoarthritis, tendinopathies, and partial vs complete tendon tears. She understands that not all sports and hip injuries require surgical intervention.
Do not be surprised when you come to see Dr. Welton if she and her team spend over an hour with you; not only to learn about your injury, but to also learn about you as a person and how your injury affects your life. She wants to provide the very highest quality and most comprehensive care. She has personally trained her physician assistant and certified athletic trainer in the nuances of treating active patients with hip, knee and shoulder conditions – though they both came to Dr. Welton’s practice with already strong foundations in treating athletes. Together they work as a team to get you back in the game as quickly and safely as possible.
Dr. Welton is also committed to the advancement of hip preservation and sports medicine; actively participating in research, leadership, and education. Her research in the field of sports medicine and hip preservation has focused on the development of many surgical advancements; having published work in the leading orthopedic and sports medicine journals. She has similarly presented her work at many of the top conferences in the field. She continues to strive toward improving the standards in the field through continued research. She has worked as a team physician for the Women’s Reign FC and is a consulting physician for many surrounding University and High School athletic programs.
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Dr. Welton earned her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees at University of Washington. After climbing the tallest peaks in the Pacific Northwest, being a ski instructor, personal trainer, and research scientist in a lab focused on aging and lifespan extenstion, Dr. Welton decided to pursue her medical degree at University of Colorado. She completed her orthopaedic surgery residency at University of Michigan. Dr. Welton then returned to Colorado for a fellowship in Sports Medicine Surgery followed by another year of fellowship in Hip Preservation. During medical school she completed a focused certification in Global Health, working and completing a needs assessment project for a remote hospital in Uganda. In residency she helped develop the Global Health & Disparities Program for University of Michigan and received the Health Volunteers Overseas Travelling Fellowship; collaborating with surgeons, residents, and medical students in Managua, Nicaragua.
Outside of her clinical and surgical practice Dr. Welton enjoys mountaineering, rock climbing, wake surfing, back country skiing, training for triathlons and spending time with her two awesome kids and husband.
Research & Publications
- Ramos L, Kraeutler MJ, Marty E, Welton KL, Garabekyan T, Mei-Dan O. Pain Scores and Activity Tolerance in the Early Postoperative Period After Hip Arthroscopy. Orthop J Sports Med. 2020 Oct 28;8(10):2325967120960689. doi: 10.1177/2325967120960689. PMID: 33195723.
- Babazadeh S, Kraeutler MJ, Garabekyan T, Welton KL, Mei-Dan O. Longitudinal versus transverse hip arthroscopy portal cosmesis: a case-control trial of simultaneous bilateral cases. Journal of hip preservation surgery. 2019;6(3):265-70.
- Mei-Dan O, Welton KL, Kraeutler MJ, Young DA, Raju S, Garabekyan T. The CU PAO: A Minimally Invasive, 2-Incision, Interlocking Periacetabular Osteotomy: Technique and Early Results. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2019 Aug 21;101(16):1495-1504. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.19.00005.
- Welton KL, Garabekyan T, Kraeutler MJ, Vogel-Abernathie LA, Raible D, Goodrich JA, Mei-Dan O. Effects of Hip Arthroscopy Without a Perineal Post on Venous Blood Flow, Muscle Damage, Peripheral Nerve Conduction, and Perineal Injury: A Prospective Study. Am J Sports Med. 2019 Jul;47(8):1931-1938. doi: 10.1177/0363546519849663. Epub 2019 May 24.
- Welton KL, Jesse MK, Genuario J, Mei-Dan O. Distal Adductor Longus Avulsion: A Technique for Successful Repair. Arthrosc Tech. 2019 May 23;8(6):e617-e622. doi: 10.1016/j.eats.2019.02.005. eCollection 2019 Jun.
- Arriaza L, Welton KL, Kraeutler M, Garabekyan T, Meid-Dan O. Pain Scores and Activity Tolerance in the Early Postoperative Period Following Hip Arthroscopy. Orth J Sp Med. 2020 – accepted and to be published in Autumn.
- Mei-Dan O, Welton KL, Kraeutler MJ, Young DA, Raju S, Garabekyan T. The CU PAO: A Minimally Invasive, 2-Incision, Interlocking Periacetabular Osteotomy: Technique and Early Results.J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2019 Aug 21;101(16):1495-1504.
- Babazadeh S, Kraeutler MJ, Garabekyan T, Welton KL, Mei-Dan O. Longitudinal versus transverse hip arthroscopy portal cosmesis: a case-control trial of simultaneous bilateral cases. Journal Hip Pres Surg. 2019;6(3):265-70.
- Welton KL, Jesse MK, Genuario J, Mei-Dan O. Distal Adductor Longus Avulsion: A Technique for Successful Repair.Arthrosc Tech. 2019 May 23;8(6):e617-e622.
- Welton KL, Garabekyan T, Kraeutler MJ, Vogel-Abernathie LA, Raible D, Goodrich JA, Mei-Dan O. Effects of Hip Arthroscopy Without a Perineal Post on Venous Blood Flow, Muscle Damage, Peripheral Nerve Conduction, and Perineal Injury: A Prospective Study.Am J Sports Med. 2019 Jul;47(8):1931-1938. doi: 10.1177/0363546519849663. Epub 2019 May 24.
- Welton KL, Logterman S, Bartley JH, Vidal AF, McCarty E. Knee Cartilage Repair and Restoration: Common Problems and Solutions. Clin Sports Med. 2018 Apr;37(2):307-330.
- Welton KL, Kraeutler M, Jesse MK, Mei-Dan O. The Anteroposterior Pelvis Radiograph: Acetabular and Femoral Measurements and Relation to Hip Pathologies. JBJS Am. 2018 Jan 3;100(1):76-85.
- Welton KL, Pierpoint L, Bartley J, McCarty E, Comstock D. Injury Recurrence in US High School Athletes: A Decade of Patterns and Trends, 2005-2015. OJSM. 2018 Jan 2:6(1).
- Welton KL, Kraeutler M, Seidl A, Bravman J. Current Pain Prescribing Habits for Common Shoulder Surgeries: A Survey of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Membership. JSES. 2017 Dec 14: Epub ahead of print.
- Welton KL, Bartley J, Major N, McCarty E. MRI to Arthroscopy Correlations in SLAP Lesions and Long Head Biceps Pathology. Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Review. 2017 Dec;25(4):179-190.
- Bartley J, Murray M, Pierpoint LA, Welton KL, McCarty E, Comstock RD. Epidemiology of Injuries Sustained as a Result of Intentional Player Contact in High School Football, Ice Hockey, and Lacrosse, 2005/06 Through 2015/16. OJSM. 2017 Dec 12;5(12).
- Kraeutler M, Welton KL, McCarty EC, Bravman JT. Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. JBJS Am. 2017 Oct 4:99(19): 1689-1696.
- Welton KL, Logterman S, Bartley J, Vidal A, McCarty E. Common Complications in Knee Cartilage Repair and Restoration Procedures. Clin Sports Med. Accepted September 2017.
- Kraeutler MJ, Ashwell ZR, Garabekyan T, Goodrich JA, Welton KL, Flug JA, O’Hara JN, Mei-Dan O. A Radiographic Sign of Acetabular Dysplasia in the Adult Hip: The Iliofemoral Line. AJSM. 2017 June 1: Epub ahead of print.
- Kraeutler M, Welton KL, Chahla J, LaPrade RF, McCarty E. Current Concepts of the Anterolateral Ligament of the Knee: Anatomy, Biomechanics and Reconstruction. AJSM. 2017 Apr 1: Epub ahead of print.
- Welton KL, Gagnier J, Urquhart A. Proportion of Obese Patients Presenting to Orthopedic Total Joint Arthroplasty Clinics. Orthopedics. 2016 Jan 1;39(1):e127-33.
- Kweon C, Welton KL, Kelly BT, Larson CM, Bedi A. Arthroscopic Treatment of Cam-Type Impingement of the Hip. JBJS Reviews, 2015 Sep; 3 (9): e3.
- Crawford EL, Welton KL, Kweon C, Kelly BT, Larson CM, Bedi A. Arthroscopic Treatment of Pincer-Type Impingement of the Hip. JBJS Reviews, 2015 Aug; 3 (8): e4.
- McCormick MA, Delaney JR, Tsuchiya M, Tsuchiyama S, Welton KL, Westman EA, Brem RB, Liu XG, Suh Y, Zhou Z, Kaeberlein M, Kennedy BK.A Comprehensive Analysis of Replicative Lifespan in 4,698 Single-Gene Deletion Strains Uncovers Conserved Mechanisms of Aging. Cell Metab. 2015 Nov 3;22(5):895-906.
- Welton KL, Gomberawalla M, Fischgrund JP, Graziano GG, Patel R. Patient Impressions of Reimbursement for Orthopedic Spine Surgeons. The Spine Journal 2015 Nov 1;15(11):2404-9.
- Lee DC, Welton KL, Smith ED, Kennedy BK. A-type Nuclear Lamins Act as Transcriptional Repressors when Targeted to Promoters.Exp Cell Res 2009; 315:996-1007.
- Smith ED, Kaeberlein TL, Lydum BT, Sager J, Welton KL, Kennedy BK, Kaeberlein M. Age- and Calorie-independent Life Span Extension from Dietary Restriction by Bacterial Deprivation in Caenorhabditis elegans.BMC Dev Biol 2008;8:49.
- Smith ED, Tsuchiya M, Fox LA, Dang N, Hu D, Kerr EO, Johnston ED, Tchao BN, Pak DN, Welton KL, Promislow DE, Thomas JH, Kaeberlein M, Kennedy BK. Quantitative Evidence for Conserved Longevity Pathways Between Divergent Eukaryotic Species.Genome Res 2008;18:564-70.
- Kaeberlein TL, Smith ED, Tsuchiya M, Welton KL, Thomas JH, Fields S, Kennedy BK, Kaeberlein M. Lifespan Extension in Caenorhabditis elegans by Complete Removal of Food. Aging Cell 2006;5:487-94.
Professional Affiliations
- American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
Member - American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Resident Member - Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
Member - Arthroscopy Association of North America
Member - Ruth Jackson Orthopedic Society
Resident Member
Education & Honors
- University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
Orthopaedic Surgery Hip Preservation Fellowship
08/2017-08/2018 - University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
Orthopaedic Surgery Sports Medicine & Shoulder Surgery Fellowship
08/2016-07/2017 - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Orthopaedic Surgery Residency
07/2011-06/2016 - University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO
Doctor of Medicine
Global Health Track
Alpha Omega Alpha, Honor Medical Society
08/2007-05/2011 - University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology
Bachelor of Arts in Swedish
Magna Cum Laude
08/2001-05/2005 - Edmonds-Woodway High School, Edmonds, WA
National Honor Society
09/1997-06/2001