A rotator cuff tear is a common cause of pain and disability in the adult population.

Ray Knotts paid his duty to the workforce and is now happily retired on the golf course. Last year Ray had an unfortunate accident during hurricane season. This mishap took ray off the golf course and in the care of Dr. Todd Atkinson. “It was a real simple surgery as far as I was concerned.”

That’s what Ray thought, the beginning was a breeze but the recovery time meant he wouldn’t be hitting golf balls for quite some time. “He said probably four to six months, maybe a year.”

Orthopedic Surgeon Todd Atkinson explains, “The results vary, the people who are older and have a more chronic tear tend to have a worse prognosis. A lot tend to do better with surgery.”

Dr. Atkinson used a new surgical procedure on ray that is known for it’s many benefits-such as faster healing and reduced physical therapy recovery time. “Arthroscopy is where we place a camera into the joint. To see exactly what is going on in the shoulder as well as therapeutic reasons meaning we can often treat the problem at the same time.”

Surgeons are always looking for new ways to improve their patient’s recovery. Little did Ray know how beneficial it would be for him-there was no way he wanted to wait a year to be back on the golf course. “I was just ready. I just had to do it. The therapy was good, I could swing my arms. So I thought I’ll give it a shot. I wasn’t going to play 18 holes, I was just going to mess around a little bit. But I played the 18 and got my first hole in one on a par 3. It was a great day.” Nice shot Ray!

Rotator cuff tears are also quite common in younger people such as athletes or construction workers.