Dr. Chad D. Lavender
Journal of Orthopaedics — needle arthroscopy meniscectomy study
Arthroscopy — Fertilized ACL reconstruction study
Journal of Orthopaedics — opioid use randomized multicenter trial
Marshall University · Huntington, WV

Pioneering the
Future of ACL
& Joint Surgery

Creator of the Fertilized ACL · Pioneer in Nanoarthroscopy
International ACL Study Group Guest Speaker · Globally recognized innovator

01 🧬 Fertilized ACL
Creator Technique Inventor
02 🔬 Nanoarthroscopy
Pioneer Minimally Invasive
03 🌍 ACL Study Group
Guest Speaker Biennial 2026
04 📰 NY Post
Featured National Media
05 🏆 WV Healthcare
Hall of Fame 2022 Inductee
06 🏈 Sporting News
Featured National Media
Explore Innovations Request Consultation
3.1 3.1% Fertilized ACL
Re-injury Rate
90 90%+ Return to
Prior Sport Level
20 20+ Peer-Reviewed
Publications
27 27+ States Sending
Patients
Dr. Chad Lavender MD · Orthopaedic Sports Medicine · Marshall University
Chad D. Lavender, MD Marshall University · Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
Dr. Lavender · Arthrex Surgical Innovation
Dr. Lavender presenting research at AANA
About Dr. Lavender

World-Class Surgeon
from West Virginia

Growing up in Chesapeake, West Virginia, Chad David Lavender, MD turned a lifelong love of football into a mission that is now reshaping orthopaedic surgery worldwide. As an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Marshall University's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, he delivers care that athletes and patients travel from across the globe to receive.

The creator of the Lavender Fertilized ACL, Dr. Lavender has trained surgeons in over 20 cities and attracted patients from 27 states and internationally. He was selected as a Guest Speaker at the International ACL Study Group Biennial Meeting 2026, placing him among the most respected ACL surgeons in the world.

His work in nanoarthroscopy has redefined minimally invasive surgery, enabling procedures through a needle-sized scope with no incisions and dramatically reduced recovery. His textbook — Biologic and Nanoarthroscopic Approaches in Sports Medicine (Springer) — debuted at #1 on Amazon's sports medicine list and is now a standard reference for orthopaedic surgeons globally.

Medical DegreeWest Virginia University School of Medicine

ResidencyMarshall University Joan C. Edwards SOM

FellowshipOrthopaedic Research of Virginia — Sports Medicine

Board CertifiedABOS · Orthopaedic Sports Medicine

Hall of FameWV Executive Healthcare Hall of Fame 2022

RecognitionAvant-Garde All-Star · Top 5% Orthopaedics 2025

Dr. Chad Lavender MD · Marshall Orthopaedics Clinic
The Practice

Where World-Class Care
Meets West Virginia

From his clinic in Huntington, Dr. Lavender has built a destination practice that draws patients from across the country — combining the highest level of orthopaedic innovation with the kind of personal, one-on-one care that defines Marshall Health.

Signature Innovations

Techniques Rewriting the Rulebook

Two landmark advances that are transforming how the world repairs and rehabilitates the human body.

Fertilized ACL Technique — Dr. Lavender
01
ACL Surgery · Fertilized ACL

The Lavender
Fertilized ACL

A revolutionary reconstruction technique combining bone marrow concentrate, demineralized bone matrix, and autograft bone — "fertilizing" the ACL graft for stronger healing and dramatically reduced re-tear rates. Now performed by surgeons worldwide. Click to watch the technique video.

3.1%Re-injury rate
~6moReturn to sport
90%+Prior sport level
NanoNeedle Scope 2.0 — Dr. Lavender · Arthrex
02
Minimally Invasive · NanoScope™

Pioneer in
Nanoarthroscopy

Among the world's foremost experts in needle-scope surgery — procedures through a 1.9mm diameter camera with no incisions. One of the first in the US to use NanoScope™ for complex repairs. Performed 100+ procedures, and first in West Virginia to introduce the NanoNeedle™ 2.0. Click to watch.

1.9mmScope diameter
0Incisions needed
↓ RxOpioids reduced
Spatial Arthroscopy — Dr. Lavender · Marshall Health Network
03
Surgical Visualization · Intermed Labs

Inventor of
Spatial Arthroscopy

A heads-up display technology that brings the arthroscopic video feed directly into the surgeon's line of sight — eliminating the wall-mounted monitor. Among the earliest known uses of Apple Vision Pro in a U.S. operating room, developed with Marshall Health Network and Intermed Labs. Click to read the announcement.

0Looks away from field
2026In development
International Renown

A Small Town.
A Global Stage.

From Huntington, West Virginia to operating rooms and conference halls across the world — Dr. Lavender's innovations travel far.

27+

Patients from Across America and Internationally

Athletes and patients travel from more than 27 states — and from as far as Europe — to Huntington, WV to undergo the Fertilized ACL and nanoarthroscopic procedures. Marshall Health has become a national and international destination for elite joint surgery.

20+

Surgical Training Tours Across the Country

Dr. Lavender has traveled to more than 20 cities training orthopaedic surgeons on the Fertilized ACL technique. His methods are now being adopted by programs at major institutions and surgical centers nationwide.

Guest Speaker at the International ACL Study Group Biennial Meeting

Dr. Lavender was selected as a Guest Speaker at the prestigious International ACL Study Group Biennial Meeting 2026 — one of the most exclusive gatherings of ACL surgeons in the world. Here, only surgeons who have made meaningful contributions to ACL research and outcomes are invited to present. Dr. Lavender presented his research on the Fertilized ACL reconstruction, biologic augmentation outcomes, and multi-center trial data, reinforcing Marshall University's standing on the global stage of sports medicine.

View Faculty Profile at ACL Study Group →
Fertilized ACL Mid-Term Results — 91.8% outcomes
Mid-Term Outcomes: 91.8% Return to Sport 98 Patients · 3.4yr Follow-Up · 3.1% Re-rupture
Dr. Lavender at AATC 2025 General Session
AATC 2025 — General Session International Presenter
As Seen In

National & International
Media Coverage

Sporting News National Feature · Pioneering Technique

"New ACL Repair Technique to Reduce Rehab, Recovery"

The Sporting News brought national attention to Dr. Lavender's Fertilized ACL — a landmark moment for a West Virginia surgeon reshaping how the world treats one of sports medicine's most devastating injuries. Athletes everywhere took notice, and surgeons began seeking out the technique.

Read the Article →
"
New York Post January 2026 · National Spotlight

"Small Town, Big Innovation: How This West Virginia Facility Is Revolutionizing ACL Surgery"

The New York Post spotlighted Dr. Lavender's Fertilized ACL procedure — cutting re-injury rates to 3.1% and returning 90%+ of athletes to their prior level of play — as a breakthrough turning heads at the highest levels of sports medicine, offering athletes a path back to play in as little as six months.

Read the Article →
"
Sporting News National Feature · Pioneering Technique

"New ACL Repair Technique to Reduce Rehab, Recovery"

National recognition for the Fertilized ACL — a technique Dr. Lavender developed and perfected in Huntington, WV, that changed how surgeons worldwide approach ligament reconstruction and athlete recovery.

Read the Article →
"
WV Healthcare Hall of Fame 2022 — Dr. Chad Lavender
WV Executive
2022 · Healthcare Hall of Fame

"I hope we are just seeing the beginning of something special."

Inducted into the WV Executive Healthcare Hall of Fame — the most meaningful milestone of his career — Dr. Lavender described his vision: making West Virginia a national and international destination for elite athletes and world-class care.

Read Full Feature →
WSAZ News June 2021 · Local Broadcast

Lavender Fertilized ACL Technique at Marshall Orthopaedics

WSAZ NewsChannel 3 featured Dr. Lavender in a televised segment on his groundbreaking Fertilized ACL technique, helping bring this surgical innovation to the attention of patients and physicians across the tri-state region.

Watch WSAZ Segment →
"
Video Library

Watch Dr. Lavender
In Action & On Air

News broadcasts, surgical techniques, sports radio interviews, and patient stories — all in one place.

Arthrex · Surgical Technique NanoNeedle Scope 2.0 - Dr. Lavender - Arthrex
Revolutionizing Diagnostic Imaging With the NanoNeedle™ Scope 2.0
Arthrex · Presented by Dr. Lavender · Aug 2025
 Marshall Health New ACL Procedure - Dr. Lavender - Marshall Health
New ACL Procedure — Dr. Lavender
Marshall Health Official
 Featured Faster ACL Recovery - Fertilized ACL Technique
Faster ACL Recovery: Inside the Fertilized ACL Technique
YouTube Interview
 Radio Interview Dr. Chad Lavender on ACL Surgery Advances - Indiana Sports Beat Radio
Dr. Chad Lavender on ACL Surgery Advances
Indiana Sports Beat Radio · Nov 2021
 Patient Story Dr. Chad Lavender Fertilized ACL 4 Month Recovery
Fertilized ACL — 4-Month Recovery Story
Patient Recovery
 Arthrex All-Inside ACL Reconstruction with AlloSync Pure - Arthrex
All-Inside ACL Reconstruction with AlloSync™ Pure
Arthrex Surgical Series

Also featured on: WSAZ NewsChannel 3 · Apple Podcasts — NYSEA Radio · Spotify

Research & Science

Peer-Reviewed
Publications

Selected contributions spanning nanoarthroscopy, biological ACL reconstruction, and minimally invasive surgery.

01
Most Recent · 2026
Arthroscopy

Opioid Use Following Partial Meniscectomy with Needle Arthroscopy vs. Standard Knee Arthroscopy: Results from a Randomized Multicenter Trial

Arthroscopy · Feb 2026 · Vol 72(2):227–230

View on PubMed
02
2024 · Peer-Reviewed Study
Arthroscopy

ACL Reconstruction Augmentation With Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate, Demineralized Bone Matrix & Suture Tape Shows Faster Functional Recovery vs. Non-augmented ACL Reconstruction

Arthroscopy · 2024 · PMID 39047990 · DOI 10.1016/j.arthro.2024.06.042

View on PubMed
03
2021 · Landmark Paper
PMC / Arthroscopy

ACL Reconstruction Augmented With Bone Marrow Concentrate, Demineralized Bone Matrix, Autograft Bone, and Suture Tape (The Fertilized ACL)

PMC / Arthroscopy · 2021 · Clinical Outcomes Study

View on PubMed
Highlighted Journal Articles
04
2021 · Clinical Study
PMC / Arthroscopy

ACL Reconstruction Augmented With Bone Marrow Concentrate, DBM, Autograft Bone & Suture Tape (The Fertilized ACL)

PMC / Arthroscopy · 2021 · Clinical Outcomes

View on PubMed
05
2019 · Original Technique
Arthroscopy Techniques

The Lavender Fertilized ACL Reconstruction: Quadriceps Tendon All-Inside Technique with BMAC, DBM & Autograft Bone

Arthroscopy Techniques · 2019 · Original Technique Paper

View Full Article
06
2021 · Surgical Technique
Arthroscopy Techniques

Nanoscopic Medial Meniscus Repair

Arthroscopy Techniques · 2021 · Surgical Technique

View Full Article
2021

Nanoscopic Medial Meniscus Repair

Arthroscopy Techniques

View →
2020

Nanoscopic Single-Incision Anterior Labrum Repair

Arthroscopy Techniques

PubMed →
2019

The Lavender Fertilized ACL Reconstruction: Quadriceps Tendon All-Inside Technique with BMAC, DBM, and Autograft Bone

Arthroscopy Techniques

View →
All

View complete publication list — 20+ peer-reviewed articles on PubMed

Search All Publications

Search PubMed →
Biologic and Nanoarthroscopic Approaches in Sports Medicine
Lavender · Springer Nature · 2021
#1 Amazon · Sports Medicine

The Definitive Text on
Minimally Invasive Sports Medicine

Edited by Dr. Chad D. Lavender and published by Springer Nature, this groundbreaking textbook brings together 20 contributing authors to document the history of arthroscopy and the frontier of nanoarthroscopy — including novel techniques for incisionless meniscectomy, synovectomy, anterior labrum repair, and rotator cuff surgery. A landmark reference for the global orthopaedic community and a #1 bestseller on Amazon.

View on Springer → View on Amazon →
Follow the Journey

Connect with
Dr. Lavender

Follow for surgical insights, research updates, patient stories, and a behind-the-scenes look at the future of orthopaedic medicine.

Contact

Ready to Experience the Difference?

Whether you're an athlete seeking the Fertilized ACL technique, a surgeon pursuing training, or a media outlet requesting an interview — Dr. Lavender's team is ready.

Location
Marshall Orthopaedics
300 Corporate Center Drive
Scott Depot, WV
Appointments
Call 304-691-6710
Media & Speaking
Available for media interviews, grand rounds, surgical training courses & keynotes