A small practice built around difficult problems.

What the practice does

Two things bring most patients here. The first is an injury at work, which carries a second problem on top of the injury itself: the reporting, the deadlines, and the insurer. The second is a shoulder that still hurts after an operation that was supposed to fix it.

Both are areas where experience matters more than equipment. Dr. Ackland has practiced orthopedic surgery since 1985 and has treated Massachusetts workers' compensation patients for more than twenty years. He is certified as an expert examiner for the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents, which means he is qualified to perform the independent examinations the system itself relies on.

How care is organized

Surgery is performed at New England Baptist Hospital. Consultations and follow-up happen at the 5 offices across the state, so most patients are not asked to travel into Boston for an appointment that does not require it.

You will usually be seen by Dr. Ackland or by Patrick Evans, PA-C, who works alongside him through the whole course of care. Both will tell you when an operation is not the right answer. That happens more often than people expect.

Beyond the practice

Dr. Ackland teaches arthroscopic surgical technique internationally, including in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines. He founded the Ackland Sports Medicine Foundation, and he has published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics. He speaks English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.