Raffy Mirzayan MD

Raffy Mirzayan MD He specializes in joint preservation, cartilage restoration and more.

Double board-certified orthopedic surgeon in Los Angeles with over 25 years of experience providing world-class care to help patients regain motion with confidence and live stronger.

The ACL is one of the primary stabilizers of the knee, helping control forward movement of the tibia and rotational stab...
08/20/2026

The ACL is one of the primary stabilizers of the knee, helping control forward movement of the tibia and rotational stability during cutting, pivoting, and deceleration.

When the ACL tears, patients may experience swelling, instability, or a sense that the knee is giving way, particularly during activities that require sudden changes in direction.

Treatment depends on the tear pattern, tissue quality, activity level, and the stability of the knee. In carefully selected tears where healthy ligament tissue remains, the native ACL may be repaired and preserved. When repair is not appropriate, ACL reconstruction replaces the torn ligament with a graft to restore stability.

An AC joint separation may look straightforward on an X-ray. Reconstructing its stability is more complex.The AC joint h...
08/18/2026

An AC joint separation may look straightforward on an X-ray. Reconstructing its stability is more complex.

The AC joint has to remain stable in multiple directions. The coracoclavicular (CC) ligaments are key to vertical stability, while the AC joint capsule and ligaments contribute importantly to horizontal and rotational stability.

Therefore, both the AC joint and CC ligaments have to be reconstructed in order to restore alignment and rebuild these stabilizing structures to address the joint in more than one plane.

For athletes and active patients, the goal is not simply an AC joint that looks reduced on imaging — it is a shoulder that is stable enough to return to lifting, overhead activity, and sport.

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Tommy John has died at 83. In 1974, his elbow was destroyed. His career was over. There was no surgery for this — none. ...
08/17/2026

Tommy John has died at 83. In 1974, his elbow was destroyed. His career was over. There was no surgery for this — none. So he asked Dr. Frank Jobe to invent one.

Two acts of courage in one operating room:

A pitcher with nothing to lose, offering his arm for something that had never been done. A surgeon willing to take a calculated risk — careful enough not to harm his patient, honest enough to admit he didn’t know if it would work.

Tommy John pitched 14 more seasons. He won 288 games after recovering from that revolutionary surgery.

I trained with Dr. Jobe during my fellowship. I scrubbed in and assisted him on these cases. What I remember most is how humble he was. He avoided the spotlight completely. He never acted like a man who had changed a sport forever — which is exactly what he did.

I’ve done hundreds of these surgeries since. I channel him on every one.

Here’s what he really taught me: sometimes there is no good answer for the patient in front of you. No protocol. No precedent. You either accept that, or you take a disciplined leap of faith. Seeing what one leap did for Tommy John and for the entire sport of baseball is why I’ve been willing to take my own.

A week before he passed, he stood at Yankees Old-Timers’ Day and thanked Dr. Jobe…. Thank you, Dr. Jobe. Rest in peace, Tommy John. 🤍💙🤍💙🤍💙🤍💙🤍💙

Exceptional care should be felt throughout the entire treatment experience.✨☑️
08/13/2026

Exceptional care should be felt throughout the entire treatment experience.✨☑️

An AC joint separation occurs when the ligaments stabilizing the junction between the clavicle and acromion are stretche...
08/06/2026

An AC joint separation occurs when the ligaments stabilizing the junction between the clavicle and acromion are stretched or torn, allowing the clavicle to shift upward relative to the shoulder blade.

These injuries often follow a direct fall or impact to the top of the shoulder and can cause pain, swelling, tenderness, a visible bump, and loss of function. The severity ranges from a mild ligament sprain to complete disruption of both the AC and coracoclavicular ligaments.

Lower-grade injuries are usually treated without surgery. More severe separations, or injuries that continue to cause pain and dysfunction, may require reconstruction to restore both vertical and horizontal stability of the joint. Dr. Mirzayan’s technique combines FiberTape cerclage fixation with donor tendon allograft reconstruction of the coracoclavicular ligaments and superior AC joint capsule with a dermal allograft (donated human skin).

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Why should a rotator cuff repair be augmented?Standard rotator cuff repairs have reported re-tear rates ranging from app...
08/03/2026

Why should a rotator cuff repair be augmented?

Standard rotator cuff repairs have reported re-tear rates ranging from approximately 25% to as high as 95%, depending on factors such as tear size, tissue quality, age, and healing risk. A tendon can be securely reattached during surgery and still tear again while it is healing back to bone.

Biologic augmentation is used to reduce that risk by reinforcing the repair and supporting the healing environment. Depending on the repair, this may include a dermal allograft, amniotic membrane, or BMAC.

Biologic augmentation is recommended as an added layer of support, with the specific strategy tailored to the tear and the quality of the tissue found during surgery. The goal is not only to repair the tendon, but to give that repair a better chance of remaining intact.

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The standard of care extends beyond the procedure itself. ✔️
07/30/2026

The standard of care extends beyond the procedure itself. ✔️

Address

8436 W. 3rd Street, Suite #800
Los Angeles, CA
90048

Telephone

+13107465918

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