EddieVitolano

Eddie Vitolano is an avid golfing enthusiast from The Villages. He’ll never forget the agonizing arm pain he felt every time he swung a golf club.

“It felt like somebody stuck me with a butcher knife,” he said. “Eventually the pain became so bad that I had to walk off the golf course and go home.”

A friend urged Eddie to visit Dr. Alfred J. Cook, an orthopedic surgeon at Tri-County Orthopaedic Center. Diagnostic testing revealed that Eddie had a torn rotator cuff, as well as bone spur impingement.

Rather than rush Eddie to surgery, Dr. Cook prescribed physical therapy. That provided temporary relief, but the pain ultimately returned. Dr. Cook then had Eddie undergo a steroid injection followed by oral steroid. Once again, he experienced brief relief be-

TRI-COUNTY ORTHOPAEDICS

Lady Lake Summit Medical Park, 765 Highway 466 352.753.9105

Leesburg 701 Medical Plaza Drive 352.326.8115 tricountyortho.com fore the pain came back.

“I admired Dr. Cook for not being knife-happy and willing to try conservative measures to treat my pain,” Eddie said.

Eddie underwent rotator cuff surgery in September 2015. Today, Eddie is pain-free and plays golf more often than he did before surgery.

“I’m so excited about having my life back, and I have Dr. Cook to thank for that. He’s very methodical and professional in the way he deals with patients and solves problems. I’d recommend Dr. Cook to anyone because he is very honest and trustworthy. Those are the qualities everybody wants in a doctor.”