Our Story

A Thirty-Year Legacy in Sports Medicine

Much of what sports medicine is today can be traced back to three men who formed the nucleus of what is today Howard Head Sports Medicine. The year was 1982. John Atkins was serving as athletic trainer and conditioning coach for the U.S. Ski Team, based in Lake Tahoe. Orthopedic surgeon Richard Steadman was Chief Physician for the team. Topper Hagerman was Director of Sports Physiology at the first U.S. Olympic Training Center.

Two years later at the Sarajevo Olympics, led by Bill Johnson and Phil Mahre, the United States emerged on the world stage. Not coincidently, Atkins, Hagerman and Steadman had assembled the first true sports medicine team for the team, integrating orthopedic medicine, exercise physiology, athletic training and sports psychology. It was groundbreaking stuff.

The three would remain inseparable. Steadman continued to pioneer revolutionary surgical techniques. Atkins and Hagerman formally teamed up to bring the same cutting edge rehabilitation concepts for all of Steadman’s patients. The common bond shared by each was a passion for helping not just world-class athletes, but all people to return to their lives with renewed strength, movement and spirit.

All three moved to Vail, Colorado in 1990. Steadman partnered with Richard Hawkins to form the renowned Steadman-Hawkins Clinic. With the permission of the family of the legendary sports inventor/engineer Howard Head, Atkins and Hagerman established the Howard Head Sports Medicine Center at Vail Valley Medical Center. By the mid-90s, they were developing extensive, injury-specific protocols for rehabilitation, setting new standards for research and innovation in the physical therapy field worldwide. As the clinic expanded, Atkins and Hagerman never lost sight of the importance of one-to-one engagement to motivate each patient and create a sense of accountability in reaching the desired outcome.

Howard Head Sports Medicine has grown to a network of eleven clinics, a residency program and a staff devoted to evidence-based care. In the process, we’ve touched the lives and limbs of thousands throughout Colorado … and the world. Today, every HHSM associate brings the same total commitment to patient wellness that inspired Atkins and Hagerman over 25 years ago.