
Editor’s Note: Every year, the national medical group Castle Connolly compiles a list of the best doctors in America. In the Memphis area, the 2025 Top Doctors list comprises more than 400 physicians representing 60 specialties. Here, we introduce you to one of the caregivers who have been a Top Doc time and again. For a complete list, pick up a copy of our June 2024 issue from your favorite newsstand, or — even better — subscribe.
The proverb, “Physician, heal thyself” comes to mind in any discussion of the medical career of Dr. Tyler Brolin, an orthopaedic specialist with Campbell Clinic since 2017.
Born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota, Brolin tore his ACL playing quarterback for his high school football team. “At the time, this was certainly disappointing,” he says, “but I had a wonderful experience with the surgeon that took care of me and was quickly inspired to become an orthopaedic surgeon. So, since the age of 15, a career in medicine has been my focus and passion.”
After earning his undergraduate degree from Concordia College in Minnesota, Brolin studied medicine at the University of North Dakota. For a while, he considered cardiothoracic surgery and neurosurgery, but “what led me back to a career in orthopaedics was the interaction many orthopaedic surgeons have with their patients,” he says. “I love seeing how they are doing overall whether it’s travel, a golf game, or athletics. As patients live more active lives and live longer, I enjoy returning function and alleviating pain to increase their quality of life.”
There’s an added personal benefit to orthopaedic surgery, he says. “I get to work with my hands, which I enjoy, and utilize some of the latest technology while performing a wide variety of procedures.”
Brolin is an expert in total shoulder replacement surgery. After completing his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Tennessee - Campbell Clinic, he completed a year of shoulder and elbow training at one of the premier training programs in the world, the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia. “I also am fortunate to be selected for this year’s American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Traveling Fellowship,” he says, “where I will spend September and October traveling to different institutions across Europe, sharing techniques and ideas regarding shoulder surgery.”
“Patients want an efficient surgery experience that minimizes disruption in their lives, so expanding their experience, where they do not have to stay in the hospital after their procedure, and allow for less pain, is a particular focus of mine.” — Dr. Tyler Brolin
Not very long ago, surgeons replaced only part of the shoulder joint — either the ball joint on the top of the arm, or the socket joint in the shoulder. In recent years, total shoulder replacement has become the gold standard. “That has totally revolutionized shoulder surgery,” says Brolin. “It is a very reliable treatment and has very reliable pain relief and return to function. At Campbell, we have done a lot of pioneering work on shoulder replacements, where patients go home the same day as their surgery, as well as opioid-sparing protocols where patients take little to no opioid pain medications after the procedure.”
He remembers his most challenging — and rewarding — cases. “One patient had been in physical therapy for years and saw multiple providers for her scapular winging, where her shoulder blade was unstable due to lack of muscular control,” he recalls. This was particularly frustrating because the young woman was a college basketball player. “I performed a complex tendon transfer where I disconnected her pectoralis major and transferred it to her shoulder blade to help with control. She went on to a fantastic recovery and was able to play basketball afterwards.”
Overall, total shoulder replacement can allow patients to return to activity with little to no pain and a high degree of function. “Patients want an efficient surgery experience that minimizes disruption in their lives,” Brolin says, “so expanding their experience, where they do not have to stay in the hospital after their procedure, and allow for less pain, is a particular focus of mine.”