PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. — Around two million Americans, most of them over the age of 40, will have a rotator cuff tear this year.
Many can be surgically repaired, but for really large tears, there’s a minimally invasive way to get patients back in the game.
Fifty-year-old Jon Kikel is no weekend warrior. For him, physical activity happens seven days a week.
He played both high school and college hockey.
“I love playing hockey, it’s been a passion of mine since I was five years old,” he said. “I do that one or two times a week in a men’s league. I love to go to the gym, be outdoors, go to the beach.”
Last year, when Kikel experienced a painful rotator cuff injury after a bike accident, the result was devastating.
“After that, it got to the point that I could barely lift a plate and get it on a shelf,” he said. “I couldn’t go to the gym or play hockey. I knew I had to seek some help.”
Several doctors told Kikel that because the rotator cuff tear was so large, he would need a full shoulder replacement, an invasive surgery that would greatly limit his activity.
Then Kikel met Dr. Keith Hechtman with Baptist Health Orthopedic Care, and he had another option: a tuberoplasty.
“It gave him the option that he could still live the life you want to live without the restrictions or fear that he has a prosthetic there, something that is very delicate,” said Hechtman.
Since the bone touching bone is what causes the pain, in a tuberoplasty, the doctor actually reshapes the bone to improve function and reduce pain.
“We actually shave the ball, so that it doesn’t hit at the top,” said Hechtman. “It shaves the edge here so it doesn’t stick up.”
After surgery, Kikel did physical therapy and was back on the ice about three months later.
“I’d say I’m about 90%,” he said. “I still have some rebuilding to other parts of my shoulder, but I’m extremely happy and I feel very blessed that I found this solution.”
The tuberoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that is done arthroscopically, where a tiny camera and shaving device is inserted through small buttonhole sized incisions.
Kikel went home the very same day he had the surgery.
PEMBROKE PARK, Fla.
