Getting Back on Course

When Rosemary Harrington lifted a heavy suitcase just exactly the wrong way in the fall of 2020, she knew something severe had happened to her shoulder.

"I actually felt a rip. The pain brought me to my knees, it was so intense," she says. Rosemary was worried that this injury would keep her away from her favorite pastime, golf. She also could not sleep. There was not a waking position where she could find comfort, and she could not golf. "Golf is what I do. If I can't play, I'm not happy," she says.

Trying the conservative route first

She knew she had to see Dr. Patrick Denard of the Oregon Shoulder Institute. He had been referred by a friend, and they belonged to the same country club. She respected his golf game.

Having a very high tolerance for pain, Rosemary was willing to try non-surgical methods to treat her shoulder. She was first treated with cortisone injections and some in-home exercises, but the less invasive methods did not work to stop the pain. After several months and another MRI, she and Dr. Denard discussed the need for an outpatient reverse total shoulder replacement surgery.

Surgery and recovery

"I went in at 5:30 a.m., the surgery was at 7:30 a.m., and I was home by 10:15 a.m.," she says. "My recovery at home was ideal. I didn't take one pain pill, my incision did not leak, and I barely have a scar. I could have started the physical therapy the next day."

She also has more flexibility in her arm than she did before the injury and is able to lift a small amount of weight over her head with no pain.

"We are extremely fortunate to have this quality of surgeon in southern Oregon. He is wonderful. Whatever they do at the Oregon Shoulder Institute is shoulder magic."

Five months post-surgery and Rosemary has been given the official green light to get back on the golf course (with limited time). She could not be happier to get back to doing the thing she loves most.

To schedule a consultation, please call (541) 608-2595.

Patrick Denard, MD, has been voted one of the top 20 Shoulder Surgeons in North America and is the most widely published shoulder specialist in Oregon. Both Drs. Denard and Phillips have advanced arthroscopy training and are able to perform the vast majority of shoulder procedures in a minimally invasive fashion, including all types of rotator cuff repairs and instability repair. These techniques allow them to repair tears that some consider "irreparable."