#56 - What Does a Professional Violinist Know About Orthopedic Surgery? Will Kang, MD

The Joint Replacement Podcast · Oct 6, 2026 · 59m

Dr. Will Kang took an unusual path to orthopedic surgery.

Before becoming a physician, he was a classically trained violinist who earned a master’s degree in violin performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and worked professionally as a musician. After years of intense practice and a repetitive-stress shoulder injury, he changed direction and ultimately became an orthopedic surgeon.

In this episode, Dr. Matthew Sloan talks with Dr. Kang about the similarities between elite musicians and athletes, repetitive-stress injuries in musicians, and what his experience as a patient taught him…