Meet Dr. Brian Camilleri, board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Central Indiana Orthopedics who is celebrating his five-year work anniversary this month! Dr. Camilleri is fellowship-trained in sports medicine and hip preservation and specializes in hip arthroscopy, complex shoulder and knee injuries, knee replacement and general orthopedics.
Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Camilleri received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Michigan State University. After completing residency at Ohio University, he underwent two subspecialty fellowships. First, Dr. Camilleri was trained in complex sports medicine injuries and surgeries in Indianapolis, Indiana, including knee and shoulder reconstruction, cartilage restoration and hip injuries in athletes. Then, he completed a second fellowship in Cleveland, Ohio, focusing further on arthroscopic hip surgery, femoroacetabular impingement and other athletic hip injuries.
By gaining in-depth experience during his hip preservation fellowship, Dr. Camilleri is able to offer surgical treatment (hip arthroscopy or “hip scope”) to those experiencing non-arthritic or degenerative issues in the hip joint. This minimally invasive procedure is used to examine, diagnose and treat the source of hip pain or other condition in the hip, such as a labral tear, hip impingement or diseased/inflamed joint lining. “There aren’t many physicians in the area who do it, but fortunately that’s a service I can provide to our group and to our community,” Dr. Camilleri said.
Dr. Camilleri considers himself extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to apply his passion for sports by working as a physician with several professional and local sports organizations, including the Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Indiana State University, University of Indianapolis and Indy Premier Soccer Club. “Sports are my passion, and that’s part of the reason why I went into sports medicine,” said Dr. Camilleri. “When I was younger, I was frequently injured playing sports, so I had a very early exposure to people in sports medicine. After spending a lot of time with them, I thought the profession was really cool, being able to help people who are injured and in pain, and now here I am today able to do just that.”
Dr. Camilleri built his practice on Hoosier values and feels it’s important to treat each patient like he would his own family, putting them at ease and making them more comfortable with the treatment plan moving forward. “I’ve had patients where I’ve operated on the entire family,” Dr. Camilleri said. “It started with treatment of one patient and then they sent me their wife, their daughter, their mother – all of whom unfortunately needed surgery. It’s incredibly humbling that the entire family put their faith and confidence in me.”
One of the things Dr. Camilleri loves most about his job and specialty is the unique ability to see patients who are suffering from pain or injury and not able to do the things they love to do, then fix or correct the problem so they can make a full recovery to activities they enjoy. “Whether through non-operative treatment or in the event they need surgery, we have the ability to give a patient their life back, and it’s very gratifying” Dr. Camilleri said. “If I have a patient in pain, at the end of the day when their course of treatment is over, if they come back in with a smile on their face, pain-free, and they can cross me off the list as one of the doctors they have to see, that’s what’s most gratifying to me as a physician.”
Dr. Camilleri reflected on several of the most gratifying moments thus far in his career, and one of the most memorable moments was a thank you from a patient named Ruthie who he helped recover from a severe ATV accident where she broke her wrist. Not only did Ruthie make a full recovery, all due to her grit and determined spirit, but she won the Madison County Horse & Pony Royalty Contest, one of the goals she had set for herself before getting injured. At Ruthie’s last visit with Dr. Camilleri, she had a BIG surprise for everyone at the office. Ruthie came fully dressed in her 4H queen attire and brought her horse, Evie, to the front of the building so Dr. Camilleri and team could meet Evie and understand how thankful Ruthie was for their care.
When Dr. Camilleri isn’t seeing patients, he enjoys spending time with his wife and family, playing and listening to music and is an avid sports fan. Learn more about Dr. Camilleri in his video interview below, or visit https://ciocenter.com/physicians/brian-e-camilleri-do/. To schedule an appointment, call 800-622-6575.