Dr. Terry Messer

Dr. Terry Messer is a native of Reading, PA. He received his doctorate in medicine from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 1995. This was followed by an internship and residency in Orthopedic Surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Dr. Messer completed his hand and upper extremity surgery fellowship at the Christine M. Kleinert Institute for Hand and Microsurgery in Louisville, KY. Upon completion of his hand fellowship, Dr. Messer joined the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine in 2001 as a hand and upper extremity specialist. He also practiced at Wake Orthopedics until 2006

American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Fellow

Dr. Messer is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and a member of the American Society for Surgery of the hand. He is the past President of the Southeastern Hand Society and past President of the North Carolina Society for Surgery of the Hand. Dr. Messer is President of COAN (Cooperacion Ortopedica Americano Nicaraguense), an organization whose goal is to improve the quality of orthopedic care in Nicaragua. He has served as team leader on several medical mission trips to Nicaragua. He is board-certified in orthopedic surgery with additional certification in hand surgery. He is married and has three children. His hobbies include tennis, golf, running, weight training, and skiing.

Things I like to do outside of work:

• Sports including tennis, weight training, golf, pickleball, running, skiing
• Hiking
• Traveling
• Reading

Patient conditions which interest me the most:

• I enjoy taking care of athletes and have treated professional, collegiate, high school, and recreational athletes.
• Rotator cuff tears and labral tears
• Tendon injuries
• Nerve injuries

My favorite sports teams:

• Carolina Hurricanes
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Big Ten football (Northwestern, Penn State) and ACC Basketball (UNC and NC State)

The best part about working at Raleigh Hand to Shoulder Center:

“I really enjoy helping my patients feel better and regaining their quality of life. I enjoy working as a team with our medical assistants and therapists and collaborating with my partners. We have a great staff at RHSC which makes coming to work every day a pleasure.”