Physicians

Keith M. Maxwell, M.D.
Dr. Maxwell is a practicing physician at Southeastern Sports Medicine and Orthopedics in Asheville, N.C.   He specializes in Orthopedic Spine Disorders, Spine Surgery, General Orthopedics, General Orthopedic Surgery, and Sports Medicine, and his practice provides comprehensive sports medicine and orthopedic care for local athletes. Dr. Maxwell is board certified in Orthopedic Surgery and Spine Surgery, and received his undergraduate degree from University of North Carolina in Asheville, NC. and his Medical Degree from Oral Roberts School of Medicine in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He completed his orthopedic residency at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and his Spine Fellowship was performed at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, Dr. Maxwell is the first surgeon in North Carolina to be certified by the American Board of Spine Surgery.

Gregory S. Motley, M.D.
Dr. Motley served his country in the United States Air Force, receiving distinguished honors in Officer Training School. While at the University of Kentucky Medical School, he served as flight surgeon for a Black Hawk helicopter unit. He is also a commercial multi-engine jet pilot. Dr. Motley is board-certified in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine. He is fellowship-trained in arthroscopy and specializes in all major joints including, but not limited to, knees, shoulders and ankles. Dr. Motley completed his sports medicine fellowship training under Dr. Robert Jackson, the father of arthroscopy in North America, at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. Dr. Motley assisted in the care, with their respective team physicians, of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and the NHL’s Dallas Stars.

Andrew Rudins, M.D.
Dr. Rudins received his medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia, after completing his undergraduate studies at Duke University. Dr. Rudins performed his physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) residency at the renowned Mayo Clinic, after which he received further training in sports medicine at the University of Hawaii and in medical acupuncture at UCLA. Dr. Rudins is board-certified by both the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine, and is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine. He has published and given numerous lectures on biomechanics, back pain, foot problems and sports injuries. Dr. Rudins has provided medical care for athletes ranging from professional, such as at the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon, to local and amateur, including serving as a team physician for the University of Hawaii. He is a marathon runner and speaks fluent Russian.

Richard B. Jones, M.D.
Dr. Jones has an undergraduate degree from Lenoir-Rhyne College, where he was a four-year letterman in football. Dr. Jones received his medical degree from East Carolina University and completed his orthopedic surgery training at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tenn., which is the oldest orthopedic training program in the country. Dr. Jones completed a one-year sports medicine fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, where he participated in research involving posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction of the knee. Dr. Jones is one of the region’s leading experts on shoulder replacement and reconstruction. He pioneered the reverse shoulder replacement in this area by being the first to bring this procedure to Western North Carolina in 2004. Dr. Jones has since taught on a national and international level about shoulder replacement in places including Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and Naples, Italy. He has served as a member of Exactech’s (Gainesville, Fla.) shoulder design team since 2006, where he assists in the development of important shoulder replacement techniques. Through this work, he has received two U.S. patents for reverse shoulder implants. Dr. Jones specializes in arthroscopic and reconstructive knee surgery and shoulder surgery, general orthopedics, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, shoulder replacement and reverse shoulder replacement. He is a member of American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), a society of leading national and international orthopedic surgeons who specialize in surgery of the shoulder and elbow.

R. Christian Estes, M.D.
Dr. Estes completed medical school at the University of Texas at San Antonio, followed by an internship and residency at Scott and White Clinic/Hospital. He is a board-certified in orthopedic surgery and is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Dr. Estes’ practice is dedicated to the care of shoulder, knee and ankle injuries of recreational and “working” athletes, with an emphasis on improving his patients’ quality of life. Dr. Estes has trained and taught karate for more than 37 years, which gives him a unique perspective in the treatment of recreational and working athletes.

James Phelps, M.D., M.P.T.
Dr. Phelps graduated from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, where he received both his medical doctorate and a master’s of physical therapy. He then went on to complete his residency in orthopedic surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Parkland Hospital in Dallas, where he served as chief resident. Dr. Phelps completed his fellowship in New York City at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons’ CV Starr Hand Surgery Center, where he trained using the latest techniques in hand and upper extremity surgery. Dr. Phelps also studied under leaders of the field in Sydney, at Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital, and in San Antonio. Dr. Phelps specializes in treatment of orthopedic injuries and conditions affecting the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand. Dr. Phelps commonly treats fractures, nerve compressions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, tendonitis and ligament injuries. He offers a wide variety of treatment options including both operative and non-operative therapy-based approaches. Dr. Phelps performs repair of fractures, ligaments and tendons; joint replacement; and various minimally invasive procedures. He works closely with SESM’s athletic trainers to provide care for student-athletes across the region.

Andrew Kersten, M.D.
Dr. Kersten attended medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine and completed undergraduate studies at Purdue University. Dr. Kersten most recently provided care at the University of California-San Diego and the Scripps Clinic, where he completed a fellowship in arthroscopy and sports medicine. Previously, he completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Royal Oak, Mich. Dr. Kersten offers a wide variety of services, including arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder and knee, ACL reconstruction, total and reverse total shoulder replacement, total knee replacement, fracture care and surgical repair of sports-related injuries of all joints. Dr. Kersten has provided medical care for athletes on the San Diego Padres MLB team and the Detroit Lions NFL team, and for San Diego State University, Grossmont College, Mesa College, Oakland and various high school football teams. He is a member of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He has special research interests in shoulder instability, cartilage defects in the knee, shoulder arthroplasty, and shoulder and elbow injuries of the throwing athlete, and has spoken at national meetings on those subjects. Visit his website: AndrewKerstenMD.com

Amal K. Das, Jr., M.D.
Dr. Das is a preeminent orthopedic surgeon and has been a leading voice on arthritis and joint replacement and reconstruction for the last three decades. In addition to newspapers across the US citing his research, Dr. Das wrote the forward to the #1 New York Times best seller, The Arthritis Cure. He is the author of several groundbreaking academic papers on complex hip revision, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate treatment for knee arthritis. Dr. Das has also served on the teaching staff for several courses for physicians on hip and knee replacement, including chairperson for a minimally invasive knee replacement course. Dr. Das has designed some surgical instruments including a complete set for the anterior approach to the hip which is marketed nationally by Innomed. His work with Congressman Charles Taylor of North Carolina on discrepancies in government reimbursement of hip and knee replacement surgeries helped usher in the cost containment movement in American medicine today. Dr. Das attended medical school at Indiana University and did his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a fellowship in hip replacement at the Ohio State University. A board certified member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, Dr. Das maintains his practice in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Visit his website: HipandKneeReplacementbyDas.com

Gregory S. Lavigne, M.D.
Dr. Lavigne earned his medical degree from Albany Medical College. He then completed a year and three months of a general surgery residency, followed by an orthopedic surgery residency at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburg, where he also completed a fellowship in total joint arthroplasty. Dr. Lavigne specializes in adult reconstructive orthopedic surgery as well as upper and lower extremity trauma surgery. He has served on the teaching faculty at Allegheny General Hospital and as a speaker at numerous professional events for orthopedic surgeons.