Patient Name: Sid
Procedure: Shoulder Surgery
Provider: Dr. Gunther
Location: Sentara Martha Jefferson
I’ve always enjoyed challenging myself physically with a wide range of outdoor activities like mountain biking, kayaking and backpacking.
In April 2018, I took my new mountain bike out on some rough terrain with a friend at Observatory Hill in Charlottesville. While attempting to jump the bike over a rock, I suddenly flew over the handlebars and landed on my right shoulder. I felt a crack in my collarbone that brought severe, sharp pain. After a long hike back to my truck, I went to the Sentara Martha Jefferson Emergency Department to get an X-ray, which confirmed my suspicion, My collarbone was fractured in multiple places and severely displaced.
As a nursing supervisor who has worked at Sentara Martha Jefferson for 11 years, I searched for treatment options that would allow me to return to the outdoor activities I enjoy so much. I met with Sentara Martha Jefferson orthopedic shoulder and sports surgeon Stephen Gunther, MD, who recommended surgery.
Using a highly technical minimally invasive procedure, Dr. Gunther inserted a titanium rod inside the shoulder bone. The procedure realigned the fractured fragments, stabilized the bone and allowed full healing.
I had the procedure at Sentara’s Outpatient Surgery Center at Pantops. The experience went really well. The nurses were fantastic. I know some of them, and they were all interested in why I was their patient!
Following surgery, I had to keep my right shoulder in a sling to reduce movement and promote healing. It was hard not being able to exercise or cook and prepare meals—in fact, not doing much at all with my right side.
Five months after surgery, Dr. Gunther cleared me so I could return to my favorite activities. To celebrate, I whitewater rafting in West Virginia, and also returned to mountain biking.
Cycling and kayaking are integral to my life and my happiness. It was amazing to get back on the bike and continue to do things I like. Dr. Gunther is an excellent surgeon who gave me straightforward answers, and the outcomes have been nothing but amazing.