“After struggling with shoulder pain for over a year, I finally went to Penn, where they discovered – and solved – my real problem.”
“Tennis isn’t just my life, it’s my job.” Meet Pascal Collard, a 51-year old tennis pro, all-around athlete and avid golfer. Originally from Belgium, Pascal has lived in the U.S. for 12 years, and he teaches tennis at the Merion Cricket Club in Haverford, PA.
“Every day I’m out on the court, running, swinging, serving and training. My job is extremely physical and there is a lot of strain on my upper body.”
Pascal gradually noticed a nagging pain in his shoulder and upper back, with tingling in his arms and fingers. As the pain become more and more severe, Pascal spent restless nights sleeping in a recliner and difficult days struggling through pain to do his job.
“When working became too painful, I went searching for the best solution.”
At another local hospital and medical center, the first doctor Pascal saw diagnosed him with a rotator cuff tear and recommended surgery. Another doctor within the same system recommended performing a second procedure – at the same time as the rotator cuff surgery -- on his elbow for the tingling in his arm.
“When the doctors recommended surgery on my shoulder and my elbow, I wasn’t convinced that was the best treatment option for me. So I went to the pros at Penn Sports Medicine and the Penn Musculoskeletal Center for a second opinion.”
Pascal met with Dr. Glaser at Penn Sports Medicine in Radnor. With a unique total-body perspective, Dr. Glaser and his team at Penn Medicine’s Musculoskeletal Center looked at every motion, every joint and every muscle and determined that an injured bicep was the real problem.
Thanks to Dr. Glaser’s determination, thoroughness and personalized care, Pascal was spared unnecessary surgery on his shoulder. Instead, Dr. Glaser performed surgery to fix the tear in Pascal’s bicep muscle in January 2015. Pascal followed up with rehabilitation and physical therapy at Penn Therapy and Fitness.