Arianna L. Gianakos, DO

Arianna Gianakos, DO, is an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in sports-related injuries of the foot and ankle, including Achilles tendon injuries; ankle sprains and instability; ligament reconstruction; and trauma-related foot and ankle fractures, as well as various other foot and ankle conditions.

Dr. Gianakos’ interest in sports medicine—particularly foot and ankle sports medicine—is the result of a long, personal history with sports. She was an All-American Athlete, former collegiate basketball player, and track and field athlete who had her own share of injuries and orthopaedic surgeries. “My experience taught me the importance of having a physician who was passionate about getting patients back on their feet so they are able to return to sports,” she says. “I chose a career where I could help patients in the same way my orthopaedic surgeons helped me.”

Foot and ankle injuries have a tremendous impact on an athlete’s quality of life, and the experience can be different for each patient, Dr. Gianakos explains. “I pride myself on getting to know each patient and their goals in order to better individualize and tailor their management,” she says. “If surgery is necessary, my job as their physician is to make sure patients are comfortable with the process, and ensure they understand that we are a team in getting them back on their feet as quickly and safely as possible.”

Her approaches include cutting-edge, minimally invasive surgeries, including in-office needle arthroscopy, and a variety of nonsurgical interventions, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, stem cell therapy, and fat cell therapy.

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Gianakos is an assistant professor of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine. She has collaborated on studies of cartilage regeneration, tendon healing, and bone growth, and has a personal research focus on gender- and sex-related differences in foot and ankle injuries and outcomes.

After completing her foot and ankle training at Harvard-Massachusetts General Hospital, she became the first and only International In-Office Needle Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine fellow in the world at NYU Langone Health, training with leading foot and ankle sports medicine surgeons in New York City, London, Amsterdam, and Bologna, and working with elite football players, soccer players, ballet dancers, basketball players, and martial artists. “My goal is always to treat athletes in a way that will allow them to return more efficiently to the sports they love,” she says.