Kathleen E. McKeon, MD

Hand & Wrist, Workers' Compensation

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Biography

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Board-Certified Orthopaedic Hand Surgeon in Birmingham, Alabama

Kathleen E. McKeon, MD, is one of Alabama’s most recognized and respected orthopaedic hand and wrist surgeons.

Board-certified and fellowship-trained, Dr. McKeon specializes in treating sports-related injuries and complex conditions affecting the hand, wrist and upper extremity.

Known for her exceptional surgical expertise and compassionate, patient-centered approach, Dr. McKeon helps athletes, active adults and patients of all ages regain function, overcome pain and return to the activities that matter most to them.

Her expertise includes fracture care, nerve and tendon surgery, joint reconstruction and microsurgery, as well as the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, arthritis and other common hand and wrist conditions.

Advanced Training in Hand & Wrist & Surgery

In addition to being board-certified in orthopaedic surgery, Dr. McKeon holds the Subspecialty Certificate in Surgery of the Hand.

This advanced certification recognizes orthopaedic surgeons who have completed specialized training and demonstrated extensive expertise in treating conditions affecting the hand and wrist.

Dr. McKeon combines this specialized training with a patient-centered approach. She takes time to understand each patient’s symptoms, functional limitations and recovery goals before developing a personalized treatment plan.

When appropriate, she begins with conservative treatment options. If surgery is needed, she uses the procedure best suited to the patient’s condition and lifestyle.

Hand & Wrist Conditions Dr. McKeon Treats

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Trigger Finger
Hand, Wrist & Finger Arthritis
Finger, Hand & Wrist Fractures
Sports-Related Hand & Wrist Injuries
Tendon & Ligament Injuries
Nerve Injuries & Nerve Lacerations
Soft-Tissue Injuries
Dupuytren’s Contracture
Ganglion Cysts
Nail-Bed Injuries
Joint Injuries & Instability
Conditions requiring Microsurgery or Joint Reconstruction

Whether a condition develops gradually or results from an acute injury, Dr. McKeon’s goal is to identify the source of the problem and provide the most appropriate path toward meaningful, lasting recovery.

Read More About Dr. McKeon

A Former Collegiate Athlete Who Understands Recovery

Dr. McKeon earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University, graduating with honors. While at Yale, she was a four-year varsity letterwinner in springboard and platform diving.

Her experience as a collegiate athlete helped shape her understanding of how an injury can affect more than physical performance. It can also interfere with work, independence, family responsibilities and the activities that bring meaning to everyday life.

Dr. McKeon earned her medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where she was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society. She remained at Washington University to complete her orthopaedic surgery residency before completing a fellowship in hand surgery at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

Research, Leadership & Professional Recognition

Dr. McKeon’s research has focused extensively on sports-related injuries of the hand and wrist. She has authored peer-reviewed scientific articles, review articles and book chapters, and she has presented her work at national medical meetings.

Her academic recognition includes the Resident Research Award at Washington University in St. Louis and selection as a semifinalist for the Leonard Goldner Award presented by the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society.

Dr. McKeon has also received numerous professional honors, including recognition among B-Metro magazine’s Top Women in Medicine and the Birmingham Business Journal’s Rising Stars in Health Care. Birmingham-area physicians have repeatedly selected her as one of Birmingham’s Top Doctors in both Hand Surgery and Pediatric Hand Surgery.

She also serves as a team physician for Bessemer Academy, providing specialized orthopaedic support for student-athletes.

Helping Patients Return to What They Love

Dr. McKeon chose hand surgery because of the essential role the hands play in nearly every part of daily life. From working and caring for family to competing in sports and enjoying favorite activities, even a seemingly minor hand or wrist condition can significantly affect a person’s independence and quality of life.

For Dr. McKeon, helping patients restore function and return to the people, responsibilities and activities they love is one of the most rewarding parts of practicing medicine.

A Birmingham native, Dr. McKeon enjoys cooking, jogging and spending time with her husband, Nick, and their three children.

Medical Training & Education

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Honors Certifications Publications Memberships

PROFESSIONAL

SEC Orthopaedic Team of the Year (2020 - University of Alabama Athletics)
Selected for ASSH Young Leaders program (2020)
"Top Doctor - Hand Surgeon" selected by local physician peers for B-Metro: The Magazine of Metro Birmingham Living (2015-2021)
"Top Doctor - Hand Surgeon-Pediatrics" selected by local physician peers for B-Metro: The Magazine of Metro Birmingham Living (2015-2021)
“Top Women in Medicine”, awarded by B-Metro: The Magazine of Metro Birmingham Living (2017-2021)
“Rising Star in Health Care”, awarded by the Birmingham Business Journal (2016)

MEDICAL SCHOOL

Resident Research Award (Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, 2013)
ASSH/AFSH 2012 Annual Meeting Scholarship winner to attend the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand and 30th Adrian E. Flatt Residents and Fellows Conference
Leonard Goldner Award Finalist for best basic science paper, AOFAS annual meeting 2011, for “Vascular supply to the ankle syndesmosis.”
Leonard Goldner Award Finalist for best basic science paper, AOFAS annual meeting 2011, for “The intraosseous and extraosseous arterial anatomy of the adult navicular.”
Alpha Omega Alpha (Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, 2008)
Glasgow-Rubin Citation for Academic Achievement (Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, 2008)

UNDERGRADUATE

Four-year varsity letterman; springboard and platform diving (Yale University, 2000-2004)

McKeon KE. Acute/Traumatic Elbow Injuries. Orthopedic Knowledge Update: Sports Medicine 6. Jan 2021.

McKeon KE, Lee DH. Shoulder and Elbow Tendinopathy. Orthopedic Knowledge Update 12. 2017.

Manske MC, McKeon KE, McCormick JJ, Johnson JE, Klein SE. Arterial Anatomy of the Posterior Tibial Nerve in the Tarsal Tunnel. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2016;98(6):499-504.

Prather H, Hunt D, McKeon K, Simpson S, Meyer EB, Yemm T, Brophy R. Are Elite Female Soccer Athletes at Risk for Disordered Eating Attitudes, Menstrual Dysfunction, and Stress Fractures? PM&R. 2016;8(3):208-213.

McKeon KE, Lee DH. Post-traumatic boutonnière and swan-neck deformities. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2015;23(10):623-32.

McKeon KE, Wright BT, Lee DH. Accuracy of MRI-based Diagnoses for Distal Upper Extremity Soft Tissue Masses. J Hand Microsurg. 2015;7(1):61-66.

Manske MC, McKeon KE, Johnson JE, McCormick JJ, Klein SE. Arterial anatomy of the tibialis posterior tendon. Foot Ankle Int. 2015;36(4):436-43.

Kraus JC, McKeon KE, Johnson JE, McCormick JJ, Klein SE. Intraosseous and extraosseous blood supply to the medial cuneiform: Implications for dorsal opening wedge plantarflexion osteotomy. Foot Ankle Int. 2014;35(4):394-400.

McKeon KE, London DA, Osei DA, Gelberman RH, Goldfarb CA, Boyer MI, Calfee RP. Ligamentous hyperlaxity and dorsal wrist ganglions. J Hand Surg [Am]. 2013;38(11):2138-43.

McKeon KE, Gelberman RH, Calfee RP. Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injuries of the Thumb: An assessment of metacarpophalangeal joint angulation and phalangeal translation on valgus stress examination in human cadavera. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2013;95(10):881-7.

McKeon KE, Boyer MI. Approach to Orthopedic Consultation. In The Washington Manual: Internship Survival Guide, 4th edition. Ed. T Defer, GN LaRossa, E Knoche, H Sateia (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2013).

McKeon KE, Johnson JE, McCormick JJ, Klein SE. The intraosseous and extraosseous vascular supply of the fifth metatarsal: Implications for fifth metatarsal osteotomy. Foot Ankle Int. 2013;34(1):117-123.

McKeon KE, McCormick JJ, Johnson JE, Klein SE. The intraosseous and extraosseous arterial anatomy of the adult navicular. Foot Ankle Int. 2012;33(10):857-61.

McKeon KE, Wright RW, Johnson JE, McCormick JJ, Klein SE. Vascular anatomy of the tibiofibular syndesmosis. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2012;94(10):931-938.

McKeon KE, Talerico MT, Calfee RP. Stress Fracture of the Radius Diaphysis in a Skeletally Immature Wrestler. J Hand Surg [Am]. 2012;37(5):995-998.

McKeon KE, O’Donnell JC, Bashyal R, Hou CC, Luhmann SJ, Dobbs MB, Gordon JE. Immobilization after pinning of supracondylar distal humerus fractures in children: Use of the A-frame cast. J Pediatr Orthop. 2012;32(1):e1-5.

McKeon KE, Gardner MJ. Orthopedic Injuries. In The Washington Manual of Surgery, 6th edition. Ed. ME Klingensmith, A Aziz, A Bharat, AC Fox, MR Porembka (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011).

McKeon KE, O’Donnell JC, Gordon JE. Pediatric femoral shaft fractures: current and future treatment. Int J Clin Rheumatol. 2010;5(6):687-697.

Lutsky K, McKeon K, Goldfarb C, Boyer M. Dorsal fixation of intra-articular distal radius fractures using 2.4-mm locking plates. Tech Hand Up Extrem Surg. 2009; 13(4):187-96.

Goldfarb CA, Gelberman RH, McKeon K, Chia B, Boyer MI. Extra articular steroid injection: Early patient response and the incidence of flare reaction. J Hand Surg [Am]. 2007;32(10):1513-20.

McKeon K, Boyer MI, Goldfarb CA. Use of routine histologic evaluation of carpal ganglions. J Hand Surg [Am]. 2006;31:284-288.

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Comeback Stories

From a Mysterious Hand Condition to the River Again, a Hand Surgery Comeback: Jeremey overcame a rare soil-related hand infection with surgery and early mobility recovery, restoring his ability to work, paddle whitewater rivers, and confidently use his hand again.
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Jeremy Boone | Trussville, AL
In November of 2022, we were approaching the end of our pro season race, and I was leading in the National Series. I was training for a race in Atlanta, GA and I crashed. This happened about 3 weeks prior to the BMX National Championship. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to race.
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Barry Nobles | Wetumpka, AL
In March of 2021, I was riding a horse that I owned, he was spooked, and I was bucked off. I fell on my left wrist, and it was very messed up. My fingers were swollen as well. I came to Andrews Sports Medicine and saw Dr. Kathleen McKeon. She performed a left distal radius ORIF and long finger PIP joint closed treatment without manipulation.
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Mike Burford | Calhoun County, AL
I am a rising junior on the Samford University Women’s Golf Team. I experienced two separate surgeries on my left wrist and many back injuries over the years prior to being treated at Andrews Sports Medicine. During my freshman year at Samford, I re-injured my wrist at a college tournament. I knew my wrist was injured, but I refused to make it official with a doctor. Finally, our Samford University athletic trainer told me, “You can either see this as another setback, or…"
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Allison Howard | Newton, AL
As a high school varsity softball pitcher, I constantly work to improve my game. Everything began to change for me on a Saturday in the Fall of 2019. I was pitching in a tournament and my elbow started bothering me with an onset of pain.
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Gracen Kirby | Doniphan, MO

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Kathleen E. McKeon, MD

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