Where Does a Surgeon Go When He Needs Surgery?

By any measure, Bob Brill, MD, is not your average 74-year old retiree. He regularly destroys guys half his age at tennis and streaks down the slopes like a race car.

For his entire life, Dr. Brill, an orthopedic surgeon, has applied his clinical knowledge to take excellent care of his joints and bones and body. Dr. Brill says: “I’ve always eaten a balanced, low-fat diet and gotten plenty of exercise through sports like tennis. I’ve worked hard to keep my body well-conditioned. But even someone like me can get injured. And that day on the tennis court I knew I had really gotten walloped. I wound up for a serve as I had done a million times, and when I came down on the ball, I felt a terrible searing pain in my shoulder – I knew right then, I had torn my rotator cuff.”

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder and stabilize its movements. Trauma to the cuff can cause great discomfort even when doing minor, daily activities.

“I needed a great surgeon and fast. So I called my former orthopedic surgical partner, Dr. Mark Schwartz. After examining Dr. Brill, Dr. Schwartz knew he needed to act immediately.

“This was a bad tear,” says Dr. Schwartz. “If we didn’t repair it quickly, the ligaments could retract and the best possible repair might not be possible.” Ultimately, the surgical repair went flawlessly. “Bob has always taken excellent care of his bones and joints, so it made my job easier,” says Dr. Schwartz.

“It went so well, I never needed a pain pill – just some physical therapy after the surgery,” adds Dr. Brill.

Today, Dr. Brill is back to his exceptionally active lifestyle. “My shoulder feels better than new and my forehand shows it,” he says with a smile, adding that Dr. Schwartz is one heck of a surgeon.

Updated December 29, 2017