Contact Information

Biography

Alex Fails has been practicing clinically at UPMC’s Freddie Fu Center for Sports Medicine since 2019 and has a significant interest in helping athletes of all types return to their previous level of sport, especially for those with shoulder instability and who participate in overhead sports. Alex is also a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist and has served as a clinical mentor and faculty for UPMC’s sports and orthopedic Physical Therapy residencies since 2022.

Dr. Fails is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh, researching return to competitive sport after shoulder stabilization procedures. He obtained a certificate in clinical research from the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. With his research, Alex aims to standardize decision-making processes for sports medicine clinicians and to help athletes return to their sport successfully and at their pre-injury levels of performance. 

Education

  • Doctor of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, 2019
  • Bachelor of Science, University of Pittsburgh, 2014

Research Interests or Expertise

  • Sports and Orthopedic Rehabilitation
  • Shoulder instability non-operative and operative rehabilitation and return to sport 
  • Overhead athletes
  • Qualitative research

School

Departments, Centers, and Offices

About

Herman ZJ, Reddy RP, Fails A, Lin A, Popchak A. Rehabilitation and Return to Sport following Operative and Nonoperative Treatment of Anterior Shoulder Instability. Clin Sports Med. 2024;43(4):705-722. doi:10.1016/j.csm.2024.03.025

Reddy RP, Rai A, Como M, et al. Criteria-based return-to-sport testing helps identify functional deficits in young athletes following posterior labral repair but may not reduce recurrence or increase return to play. JSES Int. 2023;7(3):385-392. Published 2023 Feb 2. doi:10.1016/j.jseint.2023.01.002

Reddy RP, Como M, Charles S, et al. Criteria-based return to sport testing after open Latarjet reveals residual deficits and can be utilized for sports clearance with excellent outcomes at mean 3.6 year follow-up: A small case series of competitive athletes. Phys Ther Sport. 2024;65:23-29. doi:10.1016/j.ptsp.2023.11.002

Högberg J, Królikowska A, Prill R, Fails A, Popchak A, Hamrin Senorski E. Objective clinical tests to inform decision-making prior to return to sport in athletes with shoulder instability: A scoping review. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2026;34(1):268-283. doi:10.1002/ksa.70107

Fails A, Popchak A. Return to Competitive Sport After Anterior Shoulder Stabilization: A Scoping Review of Current Outcomes and Clearance Decision-Making Criteria. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2025;20(9):1292-1310. Published 2025 Sep 1. doi:10.26603/001c.143184