David W. Kruse, MD

David W. Kruse, MD

Dr. Kruse holds two board certifications, sports medicine and family medicine, and practices as a Primary Care Sports Medicine specialist. Dr. Kruse’s clinical expertise includes non-operative orthopedics and sports medicine, general musculoskeletal care, sports concussion, general medical needs of the athlete, and musculoskeletal procedures including joint and tissue injections. Dr. Kruse also has special insight into the care of the injured gymnast or dancer.

Dr. Kruse grew up in Florida but followed his personal sports aspirations to the University of California, Berkeley, via a full athletic scholarship for gymnastics. While competing for Berkeley, he was a 3-time captain, 6-time All-American, UC Berkeley Male Student-Athlete of the Year, Pac 10 Medal Recipient, and won an NCAA Team Championship. He continued his gymnastics career after college, competing full-time internationally as a 4-time member of the USA Gymnastics Senior National Team.

After retiring from gymnastics, Dr. Kruse attended medical school at the University of California, San Diego and thereafter completed a residency in family medicine at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. Following residency, Dr. Kruse completed fellowship training in sports medicine at the University of Notre Dame.

Before joining the Orthopaedic Specialty Institute, Dr. Kruse practiced for 4 years at the University of California Irvine as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Family Medicine. He maintains a Volunteer Faculty position with UC Irvine to continue his active sports medicine teaching for medical students and residents. Dr. Kruse also serves as a resource for the community and provides many local lectures to various schools and community groups on a wide range of sports medicine topics. He also has multiple peer-reviewed journal and textbook publications on a wide range of sports medicine topics.

Dr. Kruse currently serves as a Team physician and Medical Director for USA Gymnastics, and has been a Team Physician at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. He is also a Team Physician for Biola University, The Orange County Soccer Club, Mater Dei High School, and assists with coverage for Crean Lutheran High School. In addition, Dr. Kruse provides sports concussion consultation for many local sports programs.

Dr. Kruse is an active member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM), and the American College of Sports Medicine.

Dr. Kruse’s outside interests include spending time with his wife and two children. He also enjoys yoga, surfing, playing guitar, and catching up on all sports by watching SportsCenter.

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