Conditions + Treatments
Hip Replacement
Knee Replacement (Total)
Rotator Cuff Tear
Tommy John Surgery (UCL Reconstruction)
I grew up in Walker County, Alabama and I've worked in the printing industry for 30+ years. After high school my wife, Lynn, and I married and moved to Warrior, Alabama. We have 2 adult children, Heather and Garrett, and they have blessed us with three, very active grandsons and we all live near each other in Warrior.
When my son, Garrett, was growing up we made many visits to Andrews Sports Medicine for various injuries. He played baseball at the University of Alabama and he had Tommy John surgery performed by Dr. Lyle Cain.
As for me, I've had bad hips and knees for most of my adult life due to years of playing sports as a kid and teenager. Growing up, I played baseball and football and because of the years of wear and tear, I started suffering from bi-lateral osteoarthritis in my knees and hips.
In 2012, I became a Andrews Sports Medicine patient and have been a "frequent flyer" for more than a decade. Dr. Jody Ortega conservatively treated the osteoarthritis in my hips and knees for years - administering injections, prescribing physical therapy and NSAID to help relieve the pain and reduce inflammation.
In the summer of 2014, the pain and discomfort in my left hip really started bothering me. My breaking point is when our family took a Gulf Coast vacation and I couldn't physically walk on the beach with my wife and kids because of the excruciating hip pain.
When we got back in town, I called Dr. Ortega's office and requested them to refer me to Dr. James Flanagan for a surgical consult. Dr. Flanagan replaced my left hip in September of 2014 and the surgery was lifechanging.
From that point on, I made the decision that I was not going to let my osteoarthritis control my life. I continued to visit Dr. Ortega as needed for non-surgical treatment options. When I reached a breaking point with a joint, I was referred to Dr. Flanagan for total joint replacement surgery.
Dr. Flanagan has performed 4 total joint replacement surgeries on me - both of my hips and both of my knees. In addition, I was trimming the hedges at our church in 2017 and I tore the rotator cuff in my left shoulder. Luckily, Dr. Cain put me back together.
After my hip surgeries, my hips felt amazing. I didn’t really need any pain medicine. I would take one pain pill at night to help me sleep. The recovery for my knee replacements were more intense. The I went to ATI physical therapy in Gardendale and it was better than I expected.
Today, life is great. I am pain free and enjoy spending time with and watching my grandchildren play sports. Our family loves going to our favorite beach in Gulf Shores to relax, and I really enjoy being able to walk on the beach pain free.
Reflecting back on all of my experiences at Andrews Sports Medicine, I am grateful for Dr. Ortega's years of conservative treatment, Dr. Flanagan and his PA, Eve, and Dr. Cain for their surgical skill and expertise.
I recommend Andrews Sports Medicine to everybody I know who is hurting. Having surgery is definitely an experience you don’t want to go though, but Andrews' doctors and staff make the entire process so much better.
