Elevate Your Health Colorado Rotator cuff repair surgery gets coach back in game

Reid Kahl knows a thing or two about the importance of building from the ground up.  After all, he’s coached his high school football team to two Colorado state championships and was the runner-up last fall. He credits hard work, patience, and focusing on the goal for his team’s great success the past five years.

But he recently faced one of his biggest rebuilding efforts away from the field—rehabilitating his torn rotator cuff. Ironically, Kahl’s injury didn’t occur while coaching or teaching physical education, or even lifting weights— which he does on a daily basis. It happened more than a year ago when he slipped on ice and frantically tried to catch his balance.

“I knew right away there was severe damage,” says Kahl. “I talked to our team doctor. I had a full tear of the rotator cuff and I needed some expertise. I’m a football coach and PE teacher, and I use my arms and shoulders quite a bit on the job. It was important I had a full recovery.”

Repairing the injury
Kahl was referred to James MacDougall, MD, a board-certified sports medicine physician for Kaiser Permanente Colorado. He found tears in the supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons in Kahl’s shoulder. Dr. MacDougall performed rotator cuff repair surgery to repair both tendons.

Injuries to the rotator cuff can be repaired in two ways:

• Arthroscopic surgery repairs tears through the use of an arthroscope (tiny camera) and other surgical tools through small incisions in the shoulder. Kahl underwent arthroscopic surgery.

• Open surgery uses a two- to four-inch incision in the shoulder to repair the tear and can require an overnight hospital stay.

“Dr. MacDougall was great, very thorough,” says Kahl. “He explained what the process was for the surgery, and what to expect. He even called me the night after my surgery to follow up.”

The hardest part
His biggest concern, explains Kahl, was never about the procedure. It was about the recovery. He realized he needed to practice what he preached to his players again and again: be patient and rebuild slowly by following a dedicated plan.

“I knew I was in good hands. Dr. MacDougall was excellent and his team was great,” Kahl says. “That was never the issue. I had never gone through a long recovery. But I really enjoy having a routine. I lift weights every day. I was really worried about the mental part of this – not being able to do anything for a long time.”

Kahl said he, like a lot of athletes, tend to just “push through” issues. But the rehabilitation process brought a new challenge. “The Kaiser team told me that if I tried to speed this up, I’d end up right back on the table,” he says.

“I did everything I was told to do,” says Kahl. Not surprisingly, he says he did “maybe even a little bit more.”

Getting back into action
Kahl followed the plan, went back in for check-ups, and found out he was ahead of schedule for someone his age. He met regularly with his physical therapist, who provided a list of exercises that slowly re-strengthened his shoulder and arm.

“I really surprised myself,” says Kahl. “I followed the plan and everything happened like I was told it would happen. I think I had some tendonitis in the shoulder and a slight tear of the bicep tendon before the surgery, and all of that was cleaned up.

“I now lift weights again, pain free. I’m back to throwing the ball with my son. Being a football coach, I toss the ball around at practice, and as a PE teacher, I’m pretty active, shooting baskets. In the summer, I paint houses, and my arms are above my head most of the time. I have no issues.”

The 43-year-old Kahl was a star athlete in high school, played college football, and has been physically active his entire life. Yet his slip on the ice last year resulted in his only major injury, and his only major rehabilitation.

MacDougall notes that while the surgery corrected the injury, it was Kahl’s decision to follow the physical therapy plan that really ensured his full recovery. “Reid had a very large tear that he could not continue to function with,” says Dr. MacDougall.  “He was very serious about his rehabilitation. He took every step seriously, and didn’t push to get back too early.”

“Actually, my shoulder is better than before the injury,” reports Kahl. “I’m thankful and pleased.”

For more information about shoulder injuries, please visit kp.org.