Eric J. Cotter, MD
Orthopedics
Summary
Dr. Cotter is a fellowship trained orthopedic sports medicine, shoulder, & elbow surgeon. He is a Wisconsin native who did his residency training at the University of Wisconsin and fellowship training at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush in Chicago where he helped care from the Chicago Bulls & Chicago White Sox. He is a team physician for the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department. Dr. Cotter specializes in treating all conditions of the shoulder from sporting injuries to arthritis, knee meniscus, ligament, and cartilage injuries, and soft tissue injuries about the elbow. Clinically, Dr. Cotter believes in a patient centered approach to care with a focus on counseling patients regarding all available treatment options, both nonsurgical and surgical, and the evidence behind each option.
Dr. Cotter is also a renowned clinical researcher having published over 75 peer-reviewed articles and presenting his research both nationally and internationally. He strives to offer the most up-to-date treatments for his patients while actively researching ways to improve the care we provide and the patient experience of that care.
Research Interests
- Soft Tissue Balancing in Shoulder Arthroplasty
- Minimizing Prosthetic Shoulder Joint Infections
- Rotator Cuff Repair Healing
- Clinical Outcomes & Techniques of Cartilage Restoration Procedures
- Meniscus Root Tear Indications, Techniques, and Outcomes
- OrthoBiologics (Platelet Rich Plasma & Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate)
Education
- Fellowship
Orthopaedic Sports Medicine & Shoulder Fellow
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush
Chicago, Illinois 2023-2024 - Residency
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health
Madison, Wisconsin 2018-2023 - Medical School
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Washington, District of Columbia
M.D. 2018 - Cum Laude, AOA - Sports Medicine & Cartilage Restoration Research Fellow
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush: Drs. Brian Cole & Adam Yanke
Chicago, Illinois 2016-2017 - Undergraduate Studies
Marquette University - Milwaukee, WI
B.S. Biomedical Sciences - Summa Cum Laude 2009-2013
Memberships & Affiliations
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
- Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA)
- American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM)
Clinical Interests
Shoulder
- Shoulder Arthritis
- Fracture Care Including Clavicle and Proximal Humerus Fractures
- Rotator Cuff Tears
- Shoulder Instability/Dislocations
- Biceps Tears and Tendinitis
- Pectoralis Tears
- Acromioclavicular Joint Injuries (Shoulder Separations)
- Thrower's Shoulder/Impingement
Knee
- Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears
- Meniscus Tears & Transplantation
- Cartilage Restoration & Transplantation
- Patellar Instability
- Posterior Cruciate Ligament Tears
- Medial Collateral Ligament and Posterolateral Corner Injuries
- Osteotomies
Elbow
- Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injuries (Tommy John)
- Medial and Lateral Epicondylitis
- Distal Biceps Tendon Tears
- Elbow Arthroscopy
Honors & Awards
- 2024 Bernard Bach Jr. "Cougar" Award for Best Paper Presentation at the 4th Annual Rush Sports Medicine Alumni Meeting
- 2024 Charles S. Neer Clinical Research Award - Study Entitled: "The SHORT and PMADS Trials: Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial of Surgeon-Directed Home Therapy vs Outpatient Rehabilitation by Physical Therapists for Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty and Personality, Motivation, and Attitude Determinants of Success with Rehabilitation"
- 2022-2023 Orthopaedic Surgery Chief Resident - University of Wisconsin
- 2022 American Shoulder Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Candidate Research Grant; Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) Resident Research Grant; Skin Diseases Research Center at the University of Wisconsin Research Grant - "Susceptibility of Cutibacterium Acnes to Blue Light Therapy."
- 2022 Best Research Presentation - Wisconsin Orthopaedic Society Annual Meeting
- 2022 Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) Resident Scholarship Recipient
- 2020 American Shoulder Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Prosthetic Research Grant; University of Wisconsin Freedom of Movement Research Grant - "Efficacy of Blue Light Therapy at Reducing Bioburden of Cutibacterium Acnes at the Deltopectoral Interval."
- 2020 Emergency Medicine Consultant of the Year - University of Wisconsin
- 2018 Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Medical Society - Georgetown University School of Medicine Chapter
- 2015 Most Outstanding Poster Presentation - Student Research Day: Georgetown University School of Medicine
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Publications
- Berreta RS, Villarreal-Espinosa JB, Pallone L, Cotter E, Spaan J, Manivannan A, Jackson GR, Garcia JR, Ayala S, Verma NN, Cole BJ, Chahla J. Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair Results in Similar Patient Reported Outcome Measures as Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review of Prospective Comparative Studies. Arthroscopy. 2024 Sep 12:S0749-8063(24)00673-X. PMID: 39276949
- Berreta RS, Rubin J, Manivannan A, Jackson GR, Cotter E, Khan Z, McCormick J, Villarreal-Espinosa JB, Ayala S, Verma NN, Chahla J. Geniculate Artery Embolization for the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Knee Osteoarthritis Improves Pain and Function: A Systematic Review. Arthroscopy. 2024 Aug 17:S0749-8063(24)00567-X. PMID: 39159728
- Cotter EJ, Sachs JP, Cole BJ. Autologous Minced Repair of Knee Cartilage is Safely and Effectively Performed Using Arthroscopic Techniques. Arthroscopy. 2024 June 20:S0749-8063(24)00460-2. PMID: 38908489
- Villarreal-Espinosa JB, Berreta RS, Cotter E, Garcia JR, Ayala SG, Khan ZA, Chahla J, Verma NN. Lower Range of Recurrent Instability Rates Following Bankart Repair and Remplissage Compared to Isolated Bankart Repair in Patients with “Non-Engaging/On-Track” Hill-Sachs Lesions and <20% Glenoid Bone Loss. Arthroscopy. 2024 May 109:S0749-8063(24)00342-6. PMID: 38735408
- Cotter EJ, Weissman AC, Yazdi AA, Muth SA, Cole BJ. Arthroscopic Debridement of Mild and Moderate Knee Osteoarthritis Results in Clinical Improvement at Short-Term Follow-Up: A Systematic Review. Arthroscopy. 2024 Mar 18:S0749-8063(24)00204-4. PMID: 38508289
- Dzidzishvili L, Allende F, Allahabadi S, Mowers CC, Cotter EJ, Chahla J. Increased Posterior Tibial Slope Is Associated With Increased Risk of Meniscal Root Tears: A Systematic Review. Am J Sports Med. 2024 Feb 16:3635465231225981. PMID: 38362610
- Dzidzishvili L, Berreta RS, Jackson GR, Mowers CC, Cotter EJ, Allahabadi S, Chahla J. All-Inside and Inside-Out Repair Techniques for Bucket-Handle Meniscus Tears Both Result in Improved Patient Outcomes and a Broad Range of Failure Rates: A Systematic Review. Arthroscopy. 2024 Feb 2:S0749-8063(24)00065-3. PMID: 38311264
- Cotter EJ, Verma NN. Editorial Commentary: Subacromial Balloon Spacer for Management of Massive Irreparable Posterosuperior Rotator Cuff Tears: So Far, So Good. Arthroscopy. 2024 Jan;40(1): 174-175. PMID: 38123264
- Cotter EJ, Cotter LM, Riley CN, Dixon J, VanDerwerker N, Ufot AI, Godfrey J, Gold D, Hetzel SJ, Safdar N, Grogan BF. Antimicrobial Effects of Blue Light Therapy Against Cutibacterium Acnes: Optimal Dosing and Impact of Serial Treatments. J Shoulder Elbow Surg Int. 2023 Dec 18;8(2): 328-334. PMID: 38464448
- Wagner KR, Kaiser JT, Quigley RA, Hevesi M, Damodar D, Meeker ZD, Cotter EJ, Yanke AB, Cole BJ. Revision and Conversion to Arthroplasty are Low Among Adolescents Undergoing Meniscal Allograft Transplantation Using the Bridge-In-Slot Technique at Midterm Follow-up. Arthroscopy. 2023 Aug 17:S0749-8063(23)00662-X. PMID: 37597703
PUBLICATIONS - NON-PUBMED INDEXED
- Cotter EJ, Frank RM, Mandelbaum BR. Management of Osteoarthritis - Biological approaches: current concepts. J ISAKOS. Published Online First: 29 Jan 2020. doi: 10.1136/jisakos-2019-000377.
- Cotter EJ, Frank RM, Wang KC, Cole BJ. Rehabilitation and Return to Sport Following Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation in the Knee. Operative Techniques in Sports Medicine. 2017 September; 25(3). 208-213.
- Wang KC, Cotter EJ, Cole BJ, Lin J. Rehabilitation and Return-to-Play after Achilles Tendon Repair. Operative Techniques in Sports Medicine. 2017 September; 25(3). 214-219.
- Savin D, Cotter EJ, Cole BJ. Rehabilitation and Return-to-Play after Arthroscopic Bankart Repair. Operative Techniques in Sports Medicine. 2017 September; 25(3). 145-153.
- Cotter EJ, Cotter LM. Preparing for the Couple's Match: Our Experience. In-Training: the online magazine for medical students. May 31, 2017. http://in-training.org/planning-couples-match-experience-13826
- Wang KC, Davey A, Cotter EJ, Pilz K, Mbugua F, Cole BJ. Introducing Arthroscopic Techniques in Kenya: An Intermediate-term Follow-up. Rush Orthop J. July 2017.
- Cotter EJ, Cotter LM. Married in Medical School: Our Experience. In-Training: the online magazine for medical students. January 15, 2017. http://in-training.org/married-medical-school-experience-12711
- Wang KC, Cotter EJ, Davey A, Oliver-Welsch L, Griffin JW, Meyer MA, Gitelis ME, Cole BJ. A Treatment Approach for Articular Cartilage Defects. Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics. 2016 July-Dec; 1(1): 10-16. http://jcorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/5.-Jcorth-July-Dec-2016-Dr-Cole-et-al.pdf
- Pena DF, Keller LM, Masterson CB, Cotter EJ, Mantsch JR. Concomitant Adrenal Hormonal Stress Responses Are Required for Cocaine-Induced Locomotor Sensitization. Drug & Alcohol Dependence. Vol 56. 2015 January 1.
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Locations
East Madison Hospital
Phone: (608) 263-8850
Administrative Assistant
Kasey Cox