Operation Walk was started in 1995 by Lawrence D. Dorr, M.D. in Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Dorr is one of the leading joint replacement surgeons in the United States. On a teaching trip to Russia, Dr. Dorr surmised that one of the best ways to teach physicians was to actually demonstrate the surgery. Dr. Dorr put together a team of surgeons, internal medicine doctors, anesthesiologists, nurses, and physical therapists and planned his first Operation Walk trip to Havana, Cuba. Since that time, Operation Walk has expanded to 13 centers across the United States and has been responsible for thousands of free joint replacements across the globe.
Operation Walk is a not-for-profit volunteer medical services organization that provides free surgical treatments for patients in developing countries and in the United States. These patients suffer from debilitating bone and joint conditions, such as arthritis, and do not have access to medical care. Operation Walk also educates local orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, and other health care professionals on the most advanced treatment of hip and knee joint diseases. Founded in 1994, Operation Walk teams have operated on hundreds of patients in Russia, Cuba, Nepal, China, the Philippines, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico and the United States.