4 minute read
TEE TIME Surgery allows golf pro to return to work and sport he loves
BACK INTO THE SW
BY GEORGE KOVACIK
A GOLF PRO WHO CAN’T PLAY GOLF IS LIKE PUTTING A KID IN A CANDY STORE AND TELLING HIM HE CAN’T HAVE ANYTHING. THIS IS THE PREDICAMENT RIVER OAKS COUNTRY CLUB TEACHING GOLF PRO JAMES BROWN FACED LATE LAST YEAR.
WING OF THINGS
James Brown was an all-around athlete in high school and college. He played football, baseball, basketball and golf. But over the years, the stress and strain of the games had taken their toll on his right shoulder. The pain was so severe he had to stop playing the game he loved — golf.
“I wasn’t able to turn as much, and I could feel significant pain every time I would follow through with my swing,” Brown said. “I was starting to lose some distance and hitting shots to the left, so I knew it was time to do something.”
Enter Dr. William J. Bryan, an orthopedic surgeon with the Methodist Center for Sports Medicine. Bryan happened to be out on the practice range one day when Brown approached him about his shoulder problems. Bryan told him he has seen many golfers who have torn their rotator cuff and don’t even know it. The next step was to undergo an MRI.
NOT JUST FOR BASEBALL PLAYERS
When we hear about rotator cuff injuries we often think of a baseball pitcher who is out for the season after undergoing surgery. Not golfers. But many are plagued by shoulder problems, from tendonitis to a complete tear of the rotator cuff.
“Most golfers don’t tear their rotator cuff playing golf,” said Bryan, who is also a consulting physician for Physiotherapy Associates (PTA), the official health care provider for the Professional Golf Association (PGA), LPGA, Senior’s Tour and Butch Harmon’s Golf Teaching Summit. “But they do make the problem worse by continuing to play when it is torn.”
The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and their associated tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder. An inflamed rotator cuff (tendonitis) can cause pain when lifting the arm. When the rotator cuff is torn, it bumps up against the shoulder, causing persistent pain and stiffness. This stiffness (in the left shoulder for right handed golfers and right shoulder for left handed golfers) can cause golfers to change their swing to ease the pain, and more often than not can lead to a loss of distance and more balls heading into the woods.
HITTING THE WEIGHTS
Rivers Oaks Country Club golf pro James Brown (right) underwent rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder performed by Dr. William Bryan.
A team of orthopedic surgeons from the Methodist Center for Sports Medicine including Bryan, Dr. Leland Winston and Dr. Bruce Moseley, recently spent a week at the Shell Houston Open tending to injured golfers. They were housed in one trailer, and in another trailer was a weight room that was always packed with golfers trying to bulk up so they can drive the ball a little farther.
“What many golfers don’t understand is that while strength training is important, stretching is really the key,” said Winston, who is also a PTA consulting physician. “You can have the strongest shoulder in the world, but if you don’t have a good range of motion because of tendonitis or a rotator cuff tear, you are doing yourself more harm than good when you are pumping iron.
“If you do have a tear, surgery is going to be your best option to fix it because if you wait too long, you will tear the shoulder beyond repair,” Winston said. “If you have persistent pain in the shoulder for two weeks, see a physician and get an MRI.”
ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
Dr. Leland Winston
Brown’s MRI showed a complete tear of the rotator cuff, so he decided last October to stop playing golf and have surgery in early 2007. “As a right-handed golfer, James was lucky that the tear was in the right shoulder because he will be able to recover quicker,” Bryan said. “If it was in his left shoulder — the side of the body that drives through the ball — he would have a tougher road ahead of him.” Technological advances in rotator cuff surgery have accelerated rehabilitation plans by 50 percent for many golfers. In fact, 10 weeks after surgery, Brown was already taking full swings. His goal is to be back at full strength and playing 18 holes by early summer. Brown is working with Bryan and PTA therapists to develop golf drills to be performed along with rotator cuff repair exercises. He believes this experience and his work with Methodist and PTA will help his game and give him more tools when he is giving lessons. “My shoulder injury makes me want to look for certain things in a person’s swing that may tell me that they are in the same position I was in,” Brown said. “As a pro, I always strive to improve someone’s game, and if that means sending them to someone like Dr. Bryan Bryan analyzes to get their shoulder Brown’s golf swing. fixed because I have noticed a problem, then I have done my job.”
To obtain a physician referral, call 713.790.3333 or visit www.methodisthealth.com.
