Andrew M. Blecher, MD
Accepting new patients

Andrew M. Blecher, MD

  • Sports Medicine
Southern California Orthopedic Institute - Beverly Hills | 436 North Bedford Drive, Suite 202, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

About

Board Certified in Sports Medicine 
Team Physician: College of the Canyons, Los Angeles Valley College 
Event coverage/consultant: NFL, NBA, NCAA, USTA, X-Games, Ironman 
Educator: UCLA, CSUN Clinical Instructor 
Director: Center for Rehabilitation Medicine 
Director: SCORE Concussion Program 
Certified ImPACT Consultant 
Registered in MSK U/S – "Pioneer" Certificate 
Regenexx, Certified Regenerative Medicine Physician 
Inventor: Sports Medicine braces (patents pending) 

Dr Blecher specializes in Primary Care Sports Medicine and has been practicing at the prestigious Southern California Orthopedic Institute (SCOI) for over 15 years where he has had the opportunity to care for a wide range of patients. From Little League to high school, to collegiate, to elite and professional athletes; Olympic champions, weekend warriors and award-winning entertainers have all entrusted their care to Dr Blecher to recover from their injuries in a quick, non-surgical manner. 

Andrew M. Blecher was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City. He attended Williams College in Massachusetts where he was an NCAA All-American in Track & Field and graduated with Cum Laude honors. He then completed medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, receiving many clinical and pre-clinical honors. After medical school, he completed his residency at UCLA's Family Medicine program at Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles. This training provided him with knowledge in various aspects of internal medicine, women's health and pediatrics that could be applied to the broad field of sports medicine. 

Following residency, he completed a sports medicine fellowship at the world renowned Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio. His fellowship responsibilities included the NFL Cleveland Browns and NBA Cleveland Cavaliers, as well as Cleveland's professional hockey team and NCAA Division I collegiate soccer, volleyball and wrestling teams. The fellowship also provided him the opportunity to participate in the NFL combine and Cleveland Indians spring training. Additionally, Dr. Blecher has been part of the medical team for national and international events, including the Gravity Games, the U.S. National Gymnastics Championships, and the Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii. 

A Diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice, Dr. Blecher is a member of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, and is also Board Certified in Sports Medicine. Additionally, he was also awarded the "Pioneer Certificate" for being one of the first to be registered in musculoskeletal ultrasound with the ARDMS certification. 

Dr. Blecher provides medical orthopedic care to athletes of all ages and specializes in sports health and medical conditions related to sports participation. He provides pre-participation physical exams, exercise and rehabilitation prescriptions and has an interest in nutritional and sports supplements. He lectures extensively on current sports medicine topics such as cartilage disorders and early arthritis in the athlete. As a runner himself, he also has a special interest in running injuries. Another area of interest is concussion in the athlete. Dr Blecher has years of experience evaluating and managing concussions on the sidelines as well as in the office. He has lectured extensively on the subject at many grand rounds and national conferences such as the National Summit on Sports Concussion. He was also one of the first Certified ImPACT Consultants in the greater Los Angeles area. Dr Blecher has also served as an expert witness in landmark cases involving athletes with head injuries. 

Dr. Blecher is also a leader in the growing field of Regenerative Medicine for joints, tendons and ligaments. Using biologic techniques such as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy, and Stem Cell Treatment, as well as advanced imaging such as Musculoskeletal Ultrasound, Dr. Blecher is able to accelerate healing for many acute athletic and orthopedic injuries, as well as provide non-operative, minimally invasive treatment for many musculoskeletal injuries that would otherwise require surgery or become chronic untreatable conditions. He was the first certified Regenexx provider in Los Angeles and has lectured nationally and internationally on the use of Stem Cells and PRP in athletes. He is also one of a select group of U.S. physicians to provide international concierge travel medicine procedures such as cultured stem cell treatment. 

Dr. Blecher has been named a Los Angeles Top Doctor and he currently serves as a team physician for Los Angeles Valley College, College of the Canyons (Valencia, CA) and Campbell Hall High School (Studio City, CA). He has also served as a medical consultant for ESPN and as a treating physician for the Summer X-Games in Los Angeles, as well as the WTA LA Women's Tennis Championships and USTA Men's Tennis Farmer's Classic. Dr. Blecher is also the Medical Director of the Center for Rehabilitation Medicine at SCOI and is the Director of the SCORE Concussion Program. 

As a Clinical Instructor for UCLA and CSUN, Dr Blecher also serves as an educator for Sports Medicine Fellows and Sports Medicine Athletic Training Students. He has also invented numerous braces and is involved in several ongoing research and development projects to help the next generation of athletes. 

In his free time, Dr. Blecher has enjoyed traveling, hiking, tennis, racquetball, soccer, skiing, whitewater kayaking, SCUBA diving and spending time with his family. Having undergone multiple back surgeries himself, he has a personal understanding of what patients and athletes go through to try and return to what is most important to them. He is looking forward to meeting you.

Languages

English

Education

Medical Board Certifications

Sports Medicine, American Board of Family Medicine, 2003
Family Medicine, American Board of Family Medicine, 2002

Fellowship

Sports Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 2003

Residency

Family Medicine, Kaiser Foundation Hospital, 2002

Degree

MD, Tufts University School of Medicine, 1999

Recognitions

  • Los Angeles Top Doctor
  • Castle Connolly Top Doctor
  • ARDMS MSK U/S "Pioneer Award"

Locations

Southern California Orthopedic Institute - Beverly Hills

Southern California Orthopedic Institute - Valencia

Southern California Orthopedic Institute - Van Nuys

Research

Publications

  • MONOVISC Hip OA Study 
    Ongoing multi-centered prospective, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial comparing Monovisc viscosupplementation vs saline injections in the hip for hip osteoarthritis 
  • Use of Diagnostic MSK U/S for assessing chondral surfaces of the knee 
    Blecher AM. Ongoing study to determine if MSK U/S can be used to perform accurate and reproducible measurements of articular cartilage in the human knee joint. 
  • Assessment of Cerebral Hemodynamics for Concussion Management 
    Ongoing multi-centered clinical trial of use of transcranial doppler for diagnosis and evaluation of concussion 
  • Variations in Acute Hamstring Injury Diagnosis and Management 
    Blecher AM. Study of variations in diagnosis and management of acute hamstring injuries among high school, NCAA Div I, NCAA Div III, NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and MLS athletes. 
  • Chest Pain in a Professional Football Player 
    Blecher AM, Dimeff RJ. Case study of primary spontaneous pneumothorax in a professional football player. Presented at AMSSM 12th Annual Meeting April 2003. 
  • Evaluation of Sports Medicine Training within U. S. Family Practice Residency Programs 
    Blecher AM. Study of sports medicine training within all U.S. Family Practice residency programs. Presented at UCLA Multi-Campus Dept of Family Medicine Sixteenth Annual Research Forum May, 2000

In the News

  • The Doctors (television show): “Treating Olympic Medalist Lloyd Eisler with Regenexx Stem Cell Treatment” 
  • Lifestyle Magazine (television show): “Discussing the Unhealthy Side of Sports with Stephen A Smith” 
  • WebMD: “Olympic Champion Bruce Jenner Talks about Euflexxa and His Osteoarthritis of the Knee” 
  • WebMD: “Water Boot Camp Offers Aerobics With Attitude” 
  • Sports Illustrated: Fantasy Football Injury Report 
  • California Health Report: “New law targets brain injuries in high school sports” 
  • Concussion Policy & the Law: “Expert Witness Weighs In on Concussion Case” 
  • AMA news: “Doctors key players in NFL concussion litigation” 
  • Los Angeles Times: “Would I Let My Son Play Football?” 
  • Huffington Post (Video): “Brain Trauma and Sports” 
  • NFL Concussion Litigation: Guest Blogger 
  • The NFL Concussion Crisis & The Doctor-Patient Relationship 
  • Is “Preventing Concussions” False Advertising? 
  • The Reclassification of football (3 part series) 
  • Concussions Inc: “Un-Ringing the Bell: Lessons From ‘Eveland v. San Marcos Unified School District’” 
  • The Health Care Blog: “The PEDs Question and the 2012 Olympic Games” 
  • The Gold Medal Success Show (Rockstar Radio Network): Guest 
  • NFL Concussion Litigation – The Science of Sport (Webinar): Speaker 
  • Bleacher Report 
  • Projecting the Effects of the “Helmet Rule” on Player Safety in the NFL 
  • Rob Gronkowski’s Forearm Injury, Infection Might Still Have a Long Way To Go 
  • The Impact of Advancing Modern Medicine on the NFL 
  • National Alliance for Youth Sports – “Travel Weary”, “Overuse Injuries” 
  • Dr Geier: “The Use of Orthokine in Sports Medicine” 
  • Take Part: “Hard Knock Life – Concussions in Sports” 
  • Expert Beacon: Know How To Treat A Concussion Right Away” 
  • Perrin Conferences Webinars: 
  • Concussion Litigation – NFL 
  • Concussion Litigation – NCAA and High School

Recognitions

  • Los Angeles Top Doctor
  • Castle Connolly Top Doctor
  • ARDMS MSK U/S "Pioneer Award"