Practice Locations
Affiliated Hospitals
- Ascension Saint Mary – Kankakee
- Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery
- OAK Surgery Center
Areas of Expertise
- Orthopedic Sports Medicine
- Shoulder Replacement and Shoulder Arthritis Management
- Arthroscopic ACL Reconstruction and Knee Instability Surgery
- Meniscus Injuries and Repair
- Shoulder Dislocations and Stabilization Procedures
- Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair
- Adult and Pediatric Sports Injuries
- Tendon Repair of the Shoulder, Elbow, and Knee
- Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement and Labral Tears
- Injuries of the Shoulder, Elbow, Hip, Knee, and Ankle
- General Fracture Care
Biography
Dr. Vishal Desai is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in arthroscopic and minimally invasive surgery of the shoulder, knee, hip, and ankle as well as shoulder replacement surgery. Common conditions he treats include rotator cuff, ACL, labrum, and meniscus injuries, shoulder arthritis, fractures, and ligament injuries around the body. A midwest native, he was born and raised in Ohio and attended medical school at the University of Cincinnati before moving to New York for his orthopedic surgery residency. Dr. Desai spent an additional year of specialty training at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he trained with the most modern and advanced techniques. While in Atlanta, Dr. Desai served as an assistant team physician for the Atlanta Falcons NFL team, the Atlanta Braves MLB team, Georgia Tech Division I College football and basketball teams, and the Atlanta United MLS soccer team. He also worked as a physician for the NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament.
Dr. Desai has published numerous articles in the most prestigious orthopedic journals focusing on surgical techniques and patient outcomes research during his time at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He has also authored multiple book chapters and presented award-winning research at orthopedic conferences and meetings across the country.
Dr. Desai believes that listening to his patients and taking a patient-centered approach is the most important part of the patient-physician relationship. He strives to provide his patients with as much information and guidance about their diagnosis and treatment to help make decisions together. He aims to treat his patients with conservative treatment whenever possible and only proceed with surgery when necessary. He treats his patients as he would treat his own family members.
When he’s not at work, Dr. Desai enjoys the outdoors and spending time with his wife and family.
Listening to my patients is one of the most important parts of my job. I take the time with every one of my patients to make sure that they are heard and to provide them with all the information they need about their diagnosis and treatment so that we can make the right decision together.”
Vishal S. Desai, MD, MBAEducation
Medical School
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Residency
State University of New York Upstate Medical University - Orthopedic Surgery
Fellowship
Mayo Clinic Department of Orthopedic Surgery - Sports Medicine Clinical Research
Fellowship
Emory University - Orthopedic Surgery Shoulder & Sports Medicine
Master's Degree
University of Cincinnati, Lindner College of Business - Business Administration
Affiliations and Associations
- American Board of Orthopedic Surgery
- American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons
- American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine
- Arthroscopy Association of North America
Publications
- Desai VS, Tagliero AJ, Parkes CW, Camp CL, Cummings NM, Stuart MJ, Dahm DL, Krych AJ. Systematic Review of Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction Techniques: Comparison of Patellar Bone Socket and Cortical Surface Fixation Techniques. Arthroscopy. 2019 April. PubMed PMID: 31000392
- Desai VS, Camp CL, Boddapati V, Dines JD, Brockmeier S, Werner BC. Increasing Numbers of Pre-operative Shoulder Injections within a Year Preoperatively may be Associated with a Higher Rate of Subsequent Revision Rotator Cuff Surgery. Arthroscopy. 2019 January. PubMed PMID: 30473453
- Desai VS, Anderson GR, Wu IT, Levy BA, Dahm DL, Camp CL, Krych, AJ, Stuart MJ. Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction with Hamstring Autograft: A Matched Cohort Comparison of the All-Inside and Full Tibial Tunnel Techniques. Orthop J Sports Med. 2019 January. PubMed PMID: 30671490
- Desai VS, Kakazu R, Crawford AH, Stanek JW. An Unusual Presentation of Myositis Ossificans in a Pediatric Patient. J Pediatr Orthop. 2015 Oct. PubMed PMID: 26491916
- Desai VS, Camp CL, Krych AJ. Basic Methods Handbook for Clinical Orthopaedic Resarch: A Practical Guide and Case Based Research Approach. Chapter 1.6: The Hierarchy of Clincal Evidence. ISAKOS. Ed. Volker Musahl. 2018
- Desai VS, Southam BR, Grawe BM. Complications of Surgery Following Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair and Reconstruction. JBJS Rev. 2018 Jan. PubMed PMID: 29360669
- Clark NJ, Desai VS, Dines JD, Morrey ME, Camp CL. Nonreconstruction Options for Treating Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injuries of the Elbow in Overhead Athletes. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2018 Jan. PubMed PMID: 29335854.
- Schroeder AJ, Bedeir YH, Schumaier AP, Desai VS, Grawe BM. Arthroscopic Management of SLAP Lesions With Concomitant Spinoglenoid Notch Ganglion Cysts: A Systematic Review Comparing Repair Alone to Repair With Decompression. Arthroscopy. 2018 Feb. PubMed PMID: 29501216.
- Krych AJ, Wu IT, Desai VS, Murthy NS, Collins MS, Saris DBF, Levy BA, Stuart MJ. High Rate of Missed Lateral Meniscus Posterior Root Tears on Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Ortho J Sports Med. 2018 April. Pubmed PMID: 29662913
- Krych AJ, Hevesi M, Desai VS, Camp CL, Stuart MJ, Saris DBF. Learning from Failure in Cartilage Repair Surgery: An Analysis of Failure Mode of the Primary Procedure in Consecutive Cases at a Tertiary Referral Center. Orthop J Sports Med. 2018 May. PubMed PMID: 29796401.
- Wu IT, Custers RJH, Desai VS, Pareek A, Stuart MJ, Saris DBF, Krych AJ. Internal Fixation of Unstable Osteochondritis Dissecans- Do Open Growth Plates Improve Healing Rate? Am J Sports Med. 2018 Jul. PubMed PMID: 29995442
- Sanders TL, Pareek A, Desai VS, Hewett TE, Levy BA, Stuart MJ, Dahm DL, Krych AJ. Low Accuracy of Diagnostic Codes to Identify Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear in Orthopedic Database Research. Am J Sports Med. 2018 Aug. PubMed PMID: 30125126
- Wu IT, Hevesi M, Desai VS, Saris DBF, Levy BA, Dahm DL, Stuart MJ, Krych AJ. Comparative Outcomes of Radial and Bucket-Handle Meniscus Tear Repair: A Propensity-Matched Analaysis. Am J Sports Med. 2018 Aug. PubMed PMID: 30070592
- Hevesi M, Hartigan DE, Wu IT, Wyles CC, Desai VS, van Wijnen AJ, Saris DBF, Levy BA, Krych AJ. The Rapidly Assessed Predictor of Intraoperative Damage (RAPID) Score: An In-Clinic Predictive Model for High Grade Acetabular Chondrolabral Disruption. Orthop J Sports Med. 2018 October. Pubmed PMID: 30302348
- Melugin HP, Desai VS, Camp CL, Milbrandt TA, Dahm DL, Levy BA, Stuart MD, Krych, AJ. Do Tibial Eminence Fractures and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture Have Similar Outcomes. Orthop J Sports Med. 2018 Dec. PubMed PMID: 30547044
- Tagliero AJ, Desai VS, Kennedy NI, Saris DBF, Levy BA, Dahm DL, Stuart MJ, Krych AJ. Long-term 17 year follow-up after Meniscus Repair with Concommitant Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. Am J Sports Med. 2018 December. PubMed PMID: 30422671
- Freychet BJ, Desai VS, Sanders TL, Kennedy NI, Stuart MJ, Krych AJ, Levy BA. All-inside Posterior Cruciate Ligament GraftLink® Reconstruction: Surgical Technique and Clinical Outcomes. Clin Sports Med. 2019 April. PubMed PMID: 30878050
- Woodmass JM, Lee J, Wu IT, Desai VS, Camp CL, Dahm DL, Krych AJ. Incidence of Posterior Shoulder Instability and Trends in Surgical Reconstruction: A 22-year population-based study. J. Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2019 April. Pubmed PMID: 30503178.
- Camp CL, Fu M, Jahandar H, Desai VS, Sinatro AM, Altchek DW, Dines JS. The Lateral Collateral Ligament Complex of the Elbow: Quantitative Anatomic Analysis of the Lateral Ulnar Collaterall, Radial Collateral, and Annular Ligaments. J. Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2019 April. Pubmed PMID: 30527739.
- Hagmeijer M, Hevesi M; Desai VS, Sanders TL, Camp CL, Hewett TE, Stuart MJ, Saris DBF, Krych AJ. Secondary Meniscus Tears in Patients with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: Relationship Between Operative Management, Osteoarthritis, and Arthroplasty at 18 Years Mean Follow-Up. Am J Sports Med. 2019 June. PubMed PMID: 31145668
- Kurian EB, Desai VS, Turner NS, Grawe BM, Kelly AM, Krych AJ, Camp CL. Is Grit the New Fit?-Assessing Non-Cognitive Variables in Orthopedic Surgery Trainees. J Surg Educ. 2019 July. Pubmed PMID: 30954424
- Samuelsen BT, Desai VS, Turner NS, Kelly AM, Grawe B, Camp CL. Generational Differences in Grit, Self-Control, and Conscientiousness amongst Orthopedic Surgeons: From Millenial to Baby Boomers. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2019 July. PubMed PMID: 31318816
- Desai VS, Kakazu R, Crawford AH, Sheil A, Sorger J. Primary Leiomyosarcoma of the Hand in a Patient with Neurofribromatosis Type 1. Am J Cancer Case Rep. 2019 Aug.
- Camp CL, Desai VS, Conte S, Ahmad CS, Ciccotti M, D’Angelo J, Griffith TB. Revision Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction in Professional Baseball: Current Trends, Surgical Techniques, and Outcomes. Orthop J Sports Med. 2019 August. Pubmed PMID: 31453203
- Wu IT, Desai VS, Mangold DR, Camp CL, Dahm DL, Sanchez-Sotelo J, Barlow JD, Krych AJ. Comparable Clinical Outcomes using Knotless and Knot-tying Anchors for Arthroscopic Capsulolabral Repair in Recurrent Anterior Glenohumeral Instability at Mean 5 Year Follow-up. JAAOS. 2020 May. Pubmed PMID: 32462270
- Melugin HP, Desai VS, Levy BA, Tanaka Y, Horibe S, Nakamura N, Krych AJ. Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Knee: Short-Term Outcomes of a Hybrid Technique to Restore a Partially Salvageable Progency Fragment. Cartilage. 2020 July. Pubmed PMID: 30141694.
- Krych AJ, Wu IT, Desai VS, Kennedy NI, Littrell LA, Collins MS, Saris DBF, Stuart MJ. Osteomeniscal Impact Edema (OMIE): Description of a Distinct MRI Finding in Displaced Flap Tears of the Medial Meniscus, with Comparison to Posterior Root Tears. J Knee Surg. 2020 July. Pubmed PMID: 30921819.
- Desai VS, Wu IT, Camp CL, Levy BA, Stuart MJ, Krych AJ. Mid-term Outcomes Following Acute Repair of Grade III Distal MCL Avulsions in Multi Ligamentous Knee Injuries. J Knee Surg. 2020 August. PubMed PMID: 31067586
- Desai VS, Pareek A, DeDeugd CM, Sabbag, OD, Krych AJ, Cummings NL, Dahm DL. Smoking, Employment Status, Sex, Obesity, and Medication Use Influence Outcomes of Patellofemoral Arthroplasty. KSSTA. 2020 September. Pubmed PMID: 31754729
- Bernard CD, McGauvran AM, Desai VS, Frick MA, Tiegs-Heiden C, Camp CL, Krych AJ, Collins MS. Understanding the Implications of the Meniscal Ossicle: Patient Presentation, Treatment, and Outcomes. J Knee Surg. 2021 August. Pubmed PMID: 31390669
- Rhee PC, Camp CL, D’Angelo J, Desai VS, Shen S, Sheridan D, Conte S. Epidemiology and Impact of Hand and Wrist Injuries in Major and Minor Leage Baseball. J Hand Surg. 2021July. Pubmed PMID: 31331206
- Desai VS, Amendola RL, Mann KA, Damron TA. Internal Validation of Modified Mirels’ Scoring System for Pathologic Femur Fractures. BMC MSK Disorders. 2024 Sept. PubMed PMID: 39243082
- Desai VS, Kopriva JM, King BW, Petit CB, Karas SG. Arthroscopic Anterior Labral Repair with Capsulorraphy & Interval Closure: Surgical Technique. Video J Sports Med. 2025
- Kopriva JM, Desai VS, King BW, Karas SG. Arthroscopic Posterior Labral Repair with Capsulorraphy & Anterior Interval Closure; Surgical Technique. Video J Sports Med. 2025