Same-day surgery for a bicep tear . A quick return to work .
As a truck driver , Aaron Demchak spends a lot of time behind the wheel of a flat-bed van trailer . His job is physical , requiring constant gear shifting and a lot of loading and unloading of heavy cargo . One day in August 2021 , at his first stop of the day , he felt two pops in his left arm while yanking free a troublesome ratchet strap that was securing a load of zinc bars . “ I didn ’ t think I really injured it at that moment because it wasn ’ t hurting ,” he said . But then the forklift driver who was taking the first bundle off the truck dumped one over and it broke apart . As soon as I went to pick up a bar , there was a shooting pain in my arm and I dropped the bar ,” Aaron said . It was 10:30 a . m ., he had two more stops , and he was in Cleveland , Ohio .
Once he was back at his own car , he went to the emergency room , where an X-ray suggested a partially torn bicep muscle . He then had an MRI which confirmed it was actually completely torn . Which led him to AHN Dr . Jarred Holt . “ I saw him in my office at Canonsburg and after evaluation of the MRI , it was clear it was a complete tear of his bicep muscle ,” Dr . Holt said . They discussed Aaron ’ s options : Rest and brace with progressive rehab . Or surgery . “ If we treated him without surgery , he would likely lose 40-50 percent of his strength in his left arm , and he would have a hard time returning to work .”
“ Being 42 , I ’ m too young to lose that degree of use of my arm . So , there was no question . I opted for surgery .”
— AARON DEMCHAK
“ Being 42 , I ’ m too young to lose that degree of use in my arm ,” Aaron said . “ So , there was no question . I opted for the surgery .” It went exceedingly well , and he went home the same day . He also experienced minimal pain from the moment he came to , through his follow-up physical therapy with the Canonsburg orthopaedic team . “ Everyone was absolutely wonderful ,” Aaron said . “ Dr . Holt is straightforward , approachable , and compassionate . Any questions I had , he answered .”
“ Aaron was really diligent about doing his stretching and following his movement and weight restrictions ,” said Dr . Holt , who also oversaw Aaron ’ s rehab . “ Because of that , his arm recovered in three months .” In record time , Aaron was back in his truck and on the road — with safety first and foremost on his mind , and Dr . Holt a close second . “ Doctors are like mechanics ,” he said . “ It ’ s good to have them , but you don ’ t always want to see them because that often means there ’ s a problem .”
If you ever get injured and need an orthopaedic surgeon , you can guess who he recommends .
95 % OF ALL
BICEP RUPTURES HAPPEN IN MALES AND OCCUR MOST OFTEN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 35-54 .
Source : https :// www . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / books / NBK513235 /