Joseph Legato, MD is a member of Summit Health's Orthopedics and Sports Medicine team. Dr. Legato is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in the treatment of hand, wrist, and elbow disorders. He has a special clinical interest in treating peripheral nerve injuries, and he is skilled in microsurgery.

Dr. Legato is experienced in performing Wide Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet surgery, a technique for hand and wrist surgery also known as WALANT. He also performs a variety of minimally invasive treatment options such as endoscopic carpal tunnel releases, wrist arthroscopy, and collagenase injection for Dupuytren’s contracture.

Dr. Legato prioritizes getting to know each patient and how their disorder impacts their life. This understanding enables him to focus on the whole patient and deliver personalized treatment options. Given the hand and upper extremity’s crucial role in everyday function, Dr. Legato feels most rewarded when he can help improve a patient’s quality of life.

Before pursuing his medical career, Dr. Legato worked as an engineer, where he recognized an opportunity to translate his skills into becoming a physician and surgeon. The complexities of the hand, wrist, and elbow—including their related segments and interplay with the mechanisms of human anatomy—attracted him to his surgical focus. “In many ways a physician must be a scientist, engineer, and teacher all at once. I embrace these roles, and I enjoy the challenge of solving complex problems while also caring for the patient as a person,” he says.

In his free time, Dr. Legato enjoys spending time with his wife and children, reading, and following Pittsburgh sports teams.