March 15, 2022

Get to Know Dr. Brian Badman

Meet Dr. Brian Badman, board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Central Indiana Orthopedics. Dr. Badman is fellowship-trained in shoulder surgery and specializes in sports-related shoulder injuries and degenerative and traumatic conditions of the shoulder. His surgical expertise includes total shoulder replacement, reverse shoulder replacement, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, arthroscopic labral repair, arthroscopic biceps tenodesis and fracture-related care of the shoulder. He’s been practicing in the Indianapolis area since 2006 and joined CIO in 2022.

Dr. Badman’s desire to first become a doctor started at the young age of three. “I knew I wanted to be a doctor primarily because of my mom,” Dr. Badman shared. “She developed colon cancer at the age of 22. I remember being at her bedside and saying that I wanted to grow up and become a doctor so that I could take care of her as she got older. From that point on, I don’t ever recall a time when I didn’t think I would become a doctor.”

Being a Hoosier native, he attended Indiana University for both undergraduate and medical education. In search of warmer climates than offered by the Indiana winters, he moved to Florida where he completed his orthopedic residency at the University of Florida-Gainesville. He went on to complete a shoulder and elbow fellowship at the Florida Orthopedic Institute in Tampa under the mentorship of both Dr. Mighell and Dr. Frankle (the American designer of the Reverse Shoulder Prosthesis, DJO Surgical). In 2014, Dr. Badman became the third person in Indiana to be invited into the American Shoulder and Elbow Society and was advanced to active level in 2021. He eventually moved back to Indiana with his wife to be closer to their families. Now, like his fellow Hoosiers, he settles for vacationing in the Sunshine State!

Dr. Badman says the three words that describe him best are passionate, meticulous and giving. What he loves most about being a doctor is helping patients get better and return to what they love to do. “Orthopedics is a field where there is instant gratification,” Dr. Badman said. “Patients come in with a problem, and you can usually make them better within a short period of time. It’s very gratifying to make a large impact on someone’s quality of life by reducing their pain and improving function.”

Dr. Badman is very particular about the care he provides to each patient. While medicine has evolved and he’s challenged himself to stay current on the latest techniques and technologies, he believes that a lot of value still comes from what he was taught early on in medical school. “I can gain a lot of information from the physical exam, simply placing hands on the patient and finding the source of pain,” Dr. Badman explained. “I try to spend ample time with each patient and give them the one-on-one time they deserve.”

He also believes that educating the patient and working with them to set expectations results in better outcomes. “I try to be very honest from the beginning and not sugarcoat outcomes because there’s nothing worse than painting a false representation of what the patient should expect,” Dr. Badman explained. “If a patient comes in with severe pain and it’s affecting their quality of life and I can do something to make them better, that truly drives me to keep doing what I do.”

Outside of seeing patients in the office, Dr. Badman remains heavily involved in research and education. He serves as volunteer academic faculty for the Indiana University School of Medicine where he teaches the orthopedic residents proper technique on shoulder and elbow surgery and routinely educates other physicians at regional and national meetings on the latest developments in shoulder technologies and advancements.

When Dr. Badman is not practicing medicine, he enjoys spending time with his family, doing CrossFit, watching Notre Dame football and giving back to his community. “I really enjoy participating in an annual fitness competition, Strength in Our Streets through Wheeler Mission,” Dr. Badman said. “This one-day event raises awareness and funds to benefit those in our community who are experiencing homelessness, poverty, hunger and addiction.”

Learn more about Dr. Badman at https://ciocenter.com/physicians/brian-l-badman-m-d/ or watch his video interview below. To make an appointment, call 800-622-6575.