Published: November 20, 2025
Pediatric board-certified orthopedic surgeon Jennifer M. Brey, M.D., brings nationally recognized expertise in youth anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury management to Norton Children’s Orthopedics of Louisville, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. Specializing in physeal-sparing and physeal-respecting ACL reconstruction, Dr. Brey offers referring providers a trusted partner for managing complex sports injuries in skeletally immature athletes. Her evidence-based approach helps reduce long-term joint damage and reinjury risk while supporting safe, confident return to play. Working collaboratively with primary care, sports medicine and rehabilitation professionals, Dr. Brey ensures each patient receives individualized, growth-conscious care from diagnosis through recovery. Since 2011, Dr. Brey has been providing comprehensive orthopedic care to children and adolescents in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
With special interests in pediatric sports injuries and trauma, Dr. Brey is dedicated to helping young patients return to their preinjury function. Her treatment philosophy emphasizes conservative, nonsurgical care whenever possible, though she is highly skilled in advanced arthroscopic surgical techniques when intervention is necessary, such as for repairing an ACL.“My goal is to return athletes to their preinjury level of activity as safely and effectively as possible,” Dr. Brey said. “I want them to be doing what they did before, if not a little more past that.”
Dr. Brey has expertise in treating:
The incidence of ACL tears in skeletally immature patients has increased substantially, driven by greater youth sports participation, year-round athletic training, early sport specialization and improved diagnostic capabilities. Correspondingly, pediatric ACL repair procedures have increased nearly threefold over the past two decades.
Traditional management involved nonoperative treatment — bracing, rehabilitation and activity restriction — to bridge patients to skeletal maturity when adult-type reconstruction could be performed without physeal injury risk.
Current evidence demonstrates poor outcomes with prolonged nonoperative management and surgical delay in prepubescent patients, including secondary meniscal and chondral damage. This has prompted a shift toward earlier surgical intervention, using physeal-sparing or physeal-respecting techniques that balance ACL stability with growth plate preservation.
Dr. Brey works closely with families, physical therapists, athletic trainers and coaches to not only treat injuries but also implement strategies to reduce the risk of future injuries among young athletes. Her comprehensive approach focuses on returning patients to their sport while prioritizing long-term joint health and growth plate preservation.
Dr. Brey is actively engaged in research focused on pediatric and adolescent sports medicine, with particular emphasis on ACL injuries, meniscus tears, cartilage damage and knee fractures in young athletes.
“We are also one of the few institutions in the country studying pediatric exertion-induced compartment syndrome,” Dr. Brey said.
Her commitment to evidence-based medicine ensures her patients benefit from the most current treatment protocols. Many of Dr. Brey’s former patients have successfully returned to compete at high school and collegiate athletics.
A Louisville native and former University of Louisville varsity swimmer who earned four letters, Dr. Brey maintains her passion for athletics as a member of U.S. Masters Swimming and USA Triathlon. She is a multiple-time Ironman finisher and competed at the 2022 Ironman World Championship. Away from the office, Dr. Brey enjoys attending UofL athletic events with her family.
Dr. Brey’s unique perspective as both an orthopedic surgeon and accomplished athlete allows her to connect with young patients and understand the importance of returning to sport safely and effectively.