Dr. Nicholas M. Komas
Dr. Komas grew up in Ohio and West Virginia. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and graduated from West Virginia University School of Medicine in 1992, entering active-duty service in the United States Army. He completed his internship and residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, in 1998, and prior to arriving in Chico completed a Fellowship in Sports Medicine with the Lake Tahoe Orthopaedic Institute in 2003.
Military Training & Experience
During his military service, Dr. Komas served as a General Medical Officer and Chief of Professional Services with the 43rd M*A*S*H at Camp Humphreys, Korea. He then served four years as an Orthopaedic Surgeon at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, during which he deployed to Tuzla, Bosnia, as Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery with U.S. forces in support of the 3rd Infantry Division. He also served as a Clinical Associate Professor for the University of South Carolina, participating in the training of orthopaedic residents.
Practice & Community
Upon entering civilian life, Dr. Komas joined Dr. Wilhite in 2003, and together they formed Chico Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medical Associates. He has extensive experience in Sports Medicine with a special interest in arthroscopy of the shoulder and knee, including ACL reconstruction, meniscal surgery, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, and correction of shoulder instability. His approach to care is straightforward: listen first, then start with the most effective nonoperative treatment for each patient — from physical therapy, bracing, and injections to advanced options such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and shockwave therapy. Surgery is reserved for when it is truly the right tool, always with the goal of returning patients to the work, sports, and outdoor life they love.
Dr. Komas served for nineteen years as Head Team Physician and Orthopaedic Surgeon for all Butte College athletic programs, coordinating care with the college’s Athletic Training Department.
He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, and holds the Subspecialty Certificate of Added Qualification in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine.
Personal
Dr. Komas has called Chico home since 2002, where he raised two sons who now proudly serve in the United States Army — one as an Infantry officer and the other as an orthopaedic surgery resident. Family remains at the center of his life, and he treasures time at home with his wife, Rachel, and the two teenage girls who keep their household lively. Outside the office he enjoys boating, hunting, fly fishing, hiking, and mountain biking.
