An Orthopedic Success Story

antic-drugs.net/products/aceon.htm’>antic-drugs.net/products/reglan.htm’>I along with over 100 million other people watched the triumph of Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl this past Sunday.  I am a long suffering New York Jets fan and usually root for the AFC.  This year I broke with my tradition for two reasons.  First my oldest daughter attends Tulane University in New Orleans; the Saints have really lifted the spirits of that city in ways you must live in NOLA for a while to appreciate. Second, Drew Brees came back from a potentially devastating injury and I always love an Orthopedic Happy Ending.

In December 2005 Mr. Brees dislocated his shoulder while attempting to recover his own fumble in the last game of the regular season.  In the process of that dislocation he tore his labrum and partially tore his rotator cuff.  The shoulder is an amazing joint capable of an extraordinary range of motion.  That flexibility however makes it inherently unstable.  The labrum is a rim of firm tissue that helps hold the shoulder ball in the socket.  When the shoulder dislocates that rim of tissue frequently tears making the joint prone to more dislocations.  The rotator cuff is made of the tendons of four muscles and is also often injured in dislocations.  The cuff muscles and tendons are responsible for maintaining the strength and motion of the arm.  For any throwing athlete stability, motion and strength are essential.

In the general population the incidence of shoulder dislocation is 2%.  This means that at some point in their lives 1 out of 50 people will suffer a shoulder dislocation, usually related to injury.  Even regular people  (i.e. non- professional atheletes) can have problems with their shoulders after a dislocation.  Often the shoulder will “pop out” without significant trauma, sometimes even during sleep.  The younger you are when the first dislocation occurs the more likely you are to have problems with your shoulder in the future. When this happens you may have to consider the treatment that Drew Brees did.

In January 2006 Drew underwent arthroscopic repair of his labrum and rotator cuff.  This surgery involves using an Arthroscope, a small television camera to see inside the joint, as well as specialized anchors and sutures to repair the torn tissues.  Specific instruments are used to perform the repair through 3 or 4 small incisions called portals.  The surgery can take between one to two hours to perform.  At Coney Island Hospital we have the ability and the technology to perform these procedures and do so frequently.  In fact we use the same equipment that is used in specialty hospitals in Manhattan.  The rehab afterwards is just as important as the surgery, and it can take 4 to 6 months to get full mobility and strength back.

The inspiring thing about Drew Brees’s story is his perseverance in the face of adversity.  He was released by the Chargers after his injury.  Several teams declined to hire him because they did not feel a quarterback could recover sufficiently after this type of injury to be competitive.  The Saints, a then ‘down on their luck’ team, hired a then ‘down on his luck’ quarterback.  The rest, as they say, is history.  Modern orthopedic reconstructive surgery enables us to repair and rebuild damaged joints.  To fully recover though, the patient must actively participate in their recovery.   Hopefully the victory of Drew Brees and the Saints will inspire the people of New Orleans to continue to actively participate in their recovery as well.

Jeffrey Passick, M.D.

Dr. Passick is the Director of Orthopedics at Coney Island Hospital. He can be contacted at 718-616-3440

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 2:01 pm and is filed under Orthopedics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.