Cruising To Recovery

By Jennifer Beverly

When Darrell Estes purchased an old 1950 Plymouth before relocating from Mt. Airy, North Carolina to Sunset Beach, he was looking forward to retirement and cruising the beach with his wife, Sally.

In November of 2016, while in the process of moving, Darrell was visiting a friend and tripped on some steps in the garage.

“I thought I was on the lower level of the steps, but when I went to step down, I fell,” said Darrell. “I really felt the injury to my knee, thinking it was the only thing I had hurt.”

After two weeks, Darrell’s knee had healed, but his right shoulder ached and functioned poorly.

“I couldn’t raise my arm, so my wife suggested that I make an appointment to see Dr. David Lukowski with McLeod Orthopaedics Seacoast,” said Darrell. “Because she was a knee patient of his colleague, Dr. Eric Heimberger, Sally knew that Dr. Lukowski specialized in treatment of the hand and arm.”

On the day of his appointment, Dr. Lukowski examined Darrell and suspected that he had a torn rotator cuff. “Darrell was visibly in pain, but to be 100 percent sure of the diagnosis, I sent him to McLeod Seacoast for an MRI,” said Dr. Lukowski.

When the MRI confirmed a complete tear of two muscles in his rotator cuff, Dr. Lukowski recommended an outpatient surgical repair of the rotator cuff to help eliminate the pain.

On the morning of January 20, 2017, Darrell arrived at McLeod Seacoast for surgery. Performing an arthroscopic repair, Dr. Lukowski inserted a tiny camera, called an arthroscope, into Darrell’s shoulder joint through a small incision in the skin. The camera is connected to a video monitor in the operating room and produces images that allow Dr. Lukowski to examine and repair the tissue. The procedure is less invasive with smaller incisions and does not require separating muscle layers, which results in less pain following the surgery.

“Dr. Lukowski did an outstanding job,” said Darrell. “The outpatient surgery team and anesthesiology staff were also fantastic and discussed everything with me before the procedure.”

Dr. Lukowski released Darrell six weeks after surgery, which was followed by physical therapy. “Rehabilitation plays a vital role in getting you back to your daily activities,” said Dr. Lukowski. “Physical therapy helps patients regain shoulder strength and motion.”

Darrell worked with Physical Therapist Deborah Jones at McLeod Seacoast to rehabilitate his shoulder. “Deborah was tough and I needed that,” joked Darrell. “She would fuss at me for using my arm when I shouldn’t.”

A complete recovery of a rotator cuff repair usually takes several months. Darrell gained functional range of motion and strength four months after his surgery. His commitment to Deborah’s plan of care and physical therapy helped with his successful outcome.

“I was impressed by the knowledge and professionalism of the McLeod Seacoast Rehabilitation team,” said Darrell. “They are really special people and I value their profession.”

Since his recovery, Darrell has been enjoying the little things in life again. “I wasn’t able to drive my Plymouth because it was a straight drive,” said Darrell. “It sat in the driveway for almost a year until I could use my arm again.”

Now that his arm and shoulder have healed, Darrell and Sally love to take the Plymouth out for drives and to visit car shows.

“As a retired pharmacy director of a small community hospital, I have nothing but compliments for the physicians and staff at McLeod Seacoast and the excellent care I received during my surgery and rehabilitation,” added Darrell.