Thunder Orthopedics

04/03/2026

“Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

This weekend: be renewed, soar, run, and walk.

Thunder Orthopedics will be closed on April 3, 2026 in observance of Good Friday.

03/30/2026

Happy Doctor’s Day to Dr. Megan Swanson, recognized as the best orthopedic surgeon* in Charlottesville, Virginia for the past three years. She is the first female orthopedic surgeon in central Virginia to own her own medical practice and ambulatory surgery center. A graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Dr. Swanson also holds an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Ethics from the University of Virginia. As a pioneer in outpatient knee and hip replacement surgery, Dr. Swanson has been a leader in helping patients return to their activities quickly after surgery.

In central Virginia, Dr. Megan Swanson is:

⚡️ The only orthopedic surgeon with over a decade of experience performing direct anterior hip replacement surgery.

⚡️ The only orthopedic surgeon performing muscle-sparing knee replacement surgery, with over 15 years of experience in that approach.

⚡️ The only orthopedic surgeon performing robotic assisted total and partial knee replacements in an ASC setting.

*Charlottesville Media Group

03/20/2026

Happy Friday from Thunder Orthopedics! It’s been a big week for us! By God’s grace, this past week, we performed eight surgeries, including the first:

⚡️Same Day Discharge revision knee replacement!

⚡️ Outpatient knee replacement in a nonagenarian in an ASC!

⚡️ Robotic Patella Femoral replacement in an ASC!

Why do we continue to advance complex robotic surgery in an outpatient setting? Our first patient on Wednesday summed it up well: “it is so nice to get my joint replaced and wake up without the grogginess or pain or nausea and just be able to go home and rest in my own bed.”

Thankful for the outstanding team at Thunder Ortho that continues to ask: what more is possible?

03/15/2026

Happy Sunday!
Nathan Swanson (our practice manager) is hard at play today - setting the new high score for Galaga on the Ms. Pac-Man machine (which hosts 16 games).

03/09/2026

At Thunder Orthopedics, Traci Mahoney, PA-C, gives her knowledge, voice, mentorship, and time to serve as an advocate for women and to be a role model in our community.

“Imagine a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. At work, at home, and in the community, there are many ways to overtly advance women.”

Be a Traci Mahoney in your sphere of influence. The world will be better for it.

Give respect
Give donations
Give visibility
Give knowledge
Give funding
Give justice
Give resources
Give a voice
Give protection
Give truth
Give equal pay
Give celebration
Give sponsorship
Give mentoring
Give credit
Give budget
Give introductions
Give workshops
Give opportunities
Give safety
Give training
Give stretch assignments
Give momentum
Give role models
Give growth
Give access
Give time”

FREE International Women's Day 2026 theme resources -

03/01/2026

Thunder Orthopedics watches Women’s Sports!

🏀 🏀 🏀

UVA vs Va Tech

02/27/2026

Excerpt from article:
“In orthopedic surgery, for example, women accounted for just 6% of active physicians in 2022, up from 3% in 2004. ‘We’re not really diversifying overall across specialties,’ …
Experts say long-standing cultural and environmental barriers within certain specialties may contribute to those patterns. Research has documented high rates of harassment and gender bias across medicine, and some specialties historically have been characterized by rigid hierarchies and demanding schedules.”

02/23/2026

Thankful for modern day technology to help our Olympic Athletes. These competitors have been truly amazing. Praying for complete healing for Ms. Vonn.

02/14/2026

The Jeffersonland Chorus surprised the staff (and patients) of Thunder Orthopedics with beautiful a capella songs 🎶 for Valentine’s Day yesterday. Such a wonderful gift from amazing singers.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

02/09/2026

Thunder orthopedics watches women’s sports.

Happy National Girl & Women in Sports Day!

Go Wahoos! Huge win today over the Irish.

🏀 🏀 🏀

02/07/2026

Go 🇺🇸

The message Kendall Coyne Schofield posted on her social media was not terribly difficult to decipher. A framed blackboard propped in front of Schofield’s two dogs, Penny and Blue, spelled out the message: Baby Schofield Coming Summer 2023. The dogs wore matching big sister bandanas in case someth...

02/03/2026

National Women Physician Day is celebrated annually on February 3rd, to honor the birthday of Elizabeth Blackwell - the first woman to receive a medical degree in the US in 1849. She advocated for educating young girls and demonstrating empathy in the practice of medicine. She faced extraordinary sexism. Regarding this sexism, Dr. Megan Swanson says: “It is truly shocking and disappointing that the sexism continues. Looking at the large orthopedic groups in our state, one can see that they are consistently almost completely male dominated. That is not an accident and it is not because women are not in the medical field. In fact, more than half of today’s medical students are female.”

Unfortunately, literature indicates that sexism is widespread in orthopedic surgery, with female surgeons facing high rates of gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, and a "boys' club" culture. Key challenges include a lack of female mentors, bullying, devaluation of skills, and pressure to conform to male-dominated environments. Dr. Swanson further adds: “If we don’t talk about it, and call it out into the light, then nothing changes. If nothing changes, then orthopedic patients lose out on access to some of the best medical students who choose not to go into orthopedics. Also, we lose the chance to ask better research questions as we know that diverse researchers ask more robust research questions.”