For John Kikel, ice hockey is more than just a game. It is a lifelong passion that has been a central part of his life since he was five years old. “Playing ice hockey my entire life has just been part of my identity,” Mr. Kikel, 50, explains. “It's been an amazing form of therapy for me. It’s very therapeutic to connect with my friends and play a team sport.”

When a devastating shoulder injury threatened to take that away, he was determined to find a solution that would get him back on the ice. His persistence led him to Keith Hechtman, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with Baptist Health Orthopedic Care, and an innovative procedure that proved to be the perfect fit for his active lifestyle.

A Devastating Injury

The initial injury occurred during a hockey game about a year and a half ago. “I initially injured my shoulder playing ice hockey… got pinched up on the boards and felt an immediate pain,” Mr. Kikel recalls. A subsequent e-bike accident compounded the damage. “That just completely tore it,” he says.

The impact on his daily life was immediate and severe. “That really was devastating. I was in a ton of pain. It was affecting my sleep. I couldn't play hockey and I could barely lift a plate to put it into the cabinet.” This difficult reality prompted him to seek medical solutions to repair the injury.

The Search for the Right Solution

Mr. Kikel consulted with three different doctors, but the feedback was disheartening. “They were very quick to say I needed a full shoulder replacement,” he says. “It was such devastating information to hear, that I may not be able to play hockey possibly ever again.” 

Unwilling to accept this prognosis, Mr. Kikel sought another opinion. A friend who works as a physical therapist recommended Baptist Health Orthopedic Care, which is how he found Dr. Hechtman.

“Sitting down with Dr. Hechtman was an incredible experience because I saw that he was looking at my MRI differently,” Mr. Kikel notes. “He took like 30 minutes to really analyze it and then he looked at my body type and asked me a lot of questions about what my goals were. I just feel like he really put a lot more thought into getting me the result that I was looking to get.”

Dr. Hechtman, an orthopedic surgeon with 37 years of experience, confirmed the severity of the injury. “When he came to us having a rotator cuff problem, he was diagnosed with having a massive tear to the rotator cuff,” Dr. Hechtman says. “He was given a couple options in treatment, which didn't fit exactly what his plans were.”

Dr. Hechtman notes that rotator cuff tears are common, accounting for approximately 30 million physician visits each year, with about 40 percent of those being massive tears involving two or more tendons. While a reverse shoulder replacement is one option for such injuries, Dr. Hechtman had concerns. “My concern with this was that if he likes to be involved in sports such as hockey, a contact sport, a total shoulder replacement would be very dangerous because of the risk of fracture around the prosthesis.”

An Innovative Alternative: Tuberoplasty

Dr. Hechtman proposed a different approach: a tuberoplasty. “I had never heard of tuberoplasty ever,” Mr. Kikel admits. “None of the other doctors proposed it.” 

Dr. Hechtman explains the thinking behind the procedure. A massive rotator cuff tear can cause the humerus (the upper arm bone) to shift upward, pinching against another bone and causing pain. “A tuberoplasty is the shaving of the greater tuberosity, so it no longer causes any impingement in the shoulder. What we did with Mr. Kikel is shave down the bone so when he brings his arm up without that piece of bone there, it won't catch.”

This procedure is specifically for patients with large, irreparable tears who have good motion and no significant arthritis. Mr. Kikel was an ideal candidate. “In his case, he fit that category,” Dr. Hechtman confirms. 

For Mr. Kikel, the benefits were clear. “When he brought up tuberoplasty, I was intrigued because he said it had the potential to get me back on the ice,” he says. “The recovery time was a lot less than a shoulder replacement, and at my age I was too young and too athletic to do a full shoulder replacement. This sounded like a perfect solution.”

Recovery and Return to the Rink

Mr. Kikel underwent the outpatient procedure in June. “My experience at Baptist Health Orthopedic Care was phenomenal,” he shares. “The facility was great and the staff was great to work with. And of course, Dr. Hechtman is a brilliant surgeon. I’m very, very grateful that I found him.”

The recovery process began almost immediately. Though there was initial post-surgical pain, he was encouraged to start physical therapy quickly. “I did that consistently for several months. Working closely with Dr. Hechtman and his team really helped me recover fairly quickly,” Mr. Kikel says.

His dedication paid off. Just two and a half months after surgery, he was back in the gym with full mobility to train his upper body. A month later came the moment he had been waiting for. “I got back on the ice for the first time three and a half months after my surgery, which was a huge win for me,” he says. “It felt incredible to get back there on the ice and to get back out there with the guys.”

Dr. Hechtman is pleased with the outcome. “Mr. Kikel is doing awesome. He's returned to what he wants to do—playing hockey—and living a life free of pain. This is what his goal was and this is what he wants to do.”

Dr. Hechtman an “Absolute Blessing”

Today, Mr. Kikel reports having 90 percent mobility, with the only limitation being certain overhead lifting movements, which Dr. Hechtman recommends he avoid. This small adjustment is a minor trade-off for getting back to the life he loves.

Reflecting on the journey, Mr. Kikel expresses his deep gratitude and says working with Dr. Hechtman has been “an absolute blessing.” 

“After three other opinions I was looking to find the right doctor,” he says. He later discovered that Dr. Hechtman has served as a team physician for the Florida Panthers NHL team. “It’s not surprising that I had such a great result because he has worked with hockey players. That gave me that much more confidence that I was in great hands.”

Click here for more information about the services and physicians available at Baptist Health Orthopedic Care.