In my late twenties I started having severe pain in both my shoulders. I figured the pain was caused by the years of training in competitive Judo, wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I initially saw my PCP and was diagnosed with osteoarthritis. They recommended I see a specialist. Over several years I saw four different prominent orthopedic surgeons in the Valley and they all said the same thing; my condition required a total shoulder replacement. However I was too young and I would have to live with pain until I was older or until it became unbearable. In the meantime they tried cortisone injections, hyaluronan injections and anti-inflammatory drugs. None of these treatments did anything to diminish the pain. I became increasingly frustrated. I wanted to continue my training but I could barely lift my arms up to put on a shirt and my arms felt as though they could fall out of the socket at any time. That’s when I started doing my own research. I found Dr David Bailie and read about the different type of procedure he had been performing. From my initial consultation he walked me through the procedure and finally offered me an alternative to cutting off half my arm at only 38 years of age! And more importantly, it would offer me the opportunity to train again! I had Dr Bailie perform my first shoulder surgery in November 2011 on my left arm. The surgery went great and I began physical therapy very shortly after. I had Dr Bailie perform the same operation on my right shoulder three months later followed by more PT. Again, everything went great. Within less than a year from my first surgery with Dr. Bailie and after a lot of hard work in physical therapy, I again began training in Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Both of these martial arts place a lot of stress on the shoulder joints but I never had an issue having joint locks applied or taking hard Judo throws. Also, since the surgery I’ve competed in and won Jiu Jitsu tournaments and ran in the grueling Spartan obstacle course race (which included a 25 foot rope climb). I can weight lift heavy weights and perform pushups without any pain. I can also sleep on both sides comfortably. The surgery and PT did require work but I am absolutely grateful to have had the operation performed. As a result, I have achieved more than I could have ever hoped. My only regret is not meeting Dr. Bailie and his team earlier and avoiding years of unnecessary pain and frustration.

In my late twenties I started having severe pain in both my shoulders. I figured the pain was caused by the years of training in competitive Judo, wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I initially saw my PCP and was diagnosed with osteoarthritis. They recommended I see a specialist.

Over several years I saw four different prominent orthopedic surgeons in the Valley and they all said the same thing; my condition required a total shoulder replacement. However I was too young and I would have to live with pain until I was older or until it became unbearable. In the meantime they tried cortisone injections, hyaluronan injections and anti-inflammatory drugs. None of these treatments did anything to diminish the pain.

I became increasingly frustrated. I wanted to continue my training but I could barely lift my arms up to put on a shirt and my arms felt as though they could fall out of the socket at any time. That’s when I started doing my own research. I found Dr David Bailie and read about the different type of procedure he had been performing. From my initial consultation he walked me through the procedure and finally offered me an alternative to cutting off half my arm at only 38 years of age! And more importantly, it would offer me the opportunity to train again!

I had Dr Bailie perform my first shoulder surgery in November 2011 on my left arm. The surgery went great and I began physical therapy very shortly after. I had Dr Bailie perform the same operation on my right shoulder three months later followed by more PT. Again, everything went great.

Within less than a year from my first surgery with Dr. Bailie and after a lot of hard work in physical therapy, I again began training in Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Both of these martial arts place a lot of stress on the shoulder joints but I never had an issue having joint locks applied or taking hard Judo throws. Also, since the surgery I’ve competed in and won Jiu Jitsu tournaments and ran in the grueling Spartan obstacle course race (which included a 25 foot rope climb). I can weight lift heavy weights and perform pushups without any pain. I can also sleep on both sides comfortably.

The surgery and PT did require work but I am absolutely grateful to have had the operation performed. As a result, I have achieved more than I could have ever hoped. My only regret is not meeting Dr. Bailie and his team earlier and avoiding years of unnecessary pain and frustration.