Shelley Cowan, MD

About Dr. Cowan

Dr. Shelley (McDonald) Cowan is a board-certified doctor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Physiatry) who specializes in sports medicine and also serves as a qualified medical evaluator (QME). She focuses on a conservative, non-surgical treatment of orthopedic and neurological disorders with an emphasis on exercise-based approaches.

Dr. Cowan grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, and earned her M.D. degree from Indiana University School of Medicine in 2006. Following an internship at Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies, she completed her residency in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Stanford University where she performed research related to running injuries, specifically injuries in female distance runners. She then went on to complete a fellowship in Sports Medicine at Cleveland Clinic where she had a chance to directly treat athletes from the high school to professional levels. In addition to her training in sports medicine, Dr. Cowan also has several years of experience treating industrial injuries, both acute and chronic.

Dr. Cowan enjoys cycling, strength training, Pilates, and yoga. As a sports enthusiast herself, she is focused on alleviating musculoskeletal pain brought on by activity. She emphasizes a multi-disciplinary approach to treat pain and restore function. Some specific skills in which she specializes include performing joint injections and trigger point injections, using musculoskeletal ultrasound for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, and using viscosupplementation to treat knee pain.