IT WAS another Friday night under the bright stadium lights for Franklin County High School varsity football player Dawson Sowers, who was in his senior year. The tension on the field was palpable, but Sowers had been under this pressure before, and he knew what he was doing. Unfortunately, there are always risks that come with playing sports, and that fateful evening, Sowers, as the team’s linebacker, went for a tackle out of bounds that would change everything for his football career.
“When we both went down, I realized my shoulder was really far out behind me,” Sowers said. “I felt a pop, and I realized something was really hurting, and I couldn’t get up.”
Dr. John Arnold, the team’s physician and an orthopedic specialist at Highpoint Health – Winchester with Ascension Saint Thomas, was beside him on the field instantly, assessing the situation and treating the injured player. Sowers had torn cartilage in his shoulder and would eventually need a labrum repair: a surgical procedure to repair the torn ring of cartilage.
But Sowers was in his senior year and wanted the opportunity to attend college on a football scholarship, so Arnold, Sowers, and Sowers’ parents worked together to hash out a treatment plan that would allow Sowers to continue playing while maintaining the minimum amount of risk to the already injured shoulder. Arnold fitted him with a shoulder brace that would protect the injury as much as possible while allowing Sowers to finish out his season. His knowledge as an orthopedist restored Sowers’ ability to keep pursuing his athletic goals.
Because he was able to continue playing, Sowers received a football scholarship to Tusculum University. While Arnold had brought him this far, his medical care was not over yet. For the injury to heal fully, Sowers still needed to have the labrum repair surgery. Arnold was prepared to see Sowers through to full recovery, and as an orthopedic surgeon at Highpoint Health, he performed the surgery himself.
“With posterior shoulder instability, once it becomes a surgical problem, unfortunately, the recovery time is about five or six months,” Arnold said. “The labrum, when it is repaired, takes about three months to heal back to the bone.”
Arnold is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in orthopedic sports medicine and general orthopedics. He and other orthopedic specialists, such as Dr. James McClure, offer specialized, professional care to patients at Highpoint Health, where patients feel heard, and treatments are customized based on the individual’s needs. For Sowers, this level of skill and care gave him peace of mind, knowing that he was in good hands.
“I was worried because I heard the word surgery, but the doctors assured me that this was going to be a perfect recovery and that everything would go smoothly. So I felt more confident going into the surgery,” Sowers said.
The surgery, recovery, and rehabilitation all went smoothly thanks to Highpoint Health’s excellent team of doctors, nurses, and physical therapists.
“They really helped me. When you have an injury requiring surgery, most people believe that you aren’t going to be able to bounce back,” Sowers said. “But Highpoint Health is the opposite of that. They helped me reach my goal to earn a football scholarship, and now I’m feeling my best to go to college in the fall as a Tusculum Pioneer.” GN
