17 / 20
“I got
all the arthritis in my family,” Tim
Halls says.
The 45-year-old transplant from Montana
has been in the culinary industry for the past
20 years. In that time, he perfected his Tim’s
Texas Two Step barbecue sauce recipe — but
also wore out his shoulders with heavy lifting
and the repetitive motions of chopping, slicing,
and stirring.
In 2008, Tim turned to Jeff Hamm, MD,
orthopedic surgeon at Methodist Richardson
Medical Center, for a tear in the muscle around
his left shoulder. The arthritis Dr. Hamm found
was so bad, he told Tim he’d be back in 10 years
for shoulder replacement.
“I didn’t make it five years,” Tim says. “Every
time my shoulder turned, it was like Rice
Krispies, just snap, crackle, and pop.”
When you need a new shoulder
Tim realized the time for his new shoulder
had arrived last spring, when he went out into
the backyard to practice his golf swing and
realized he could barely get the club back. He
went to see Dr. Hamm, and his right shoulder
replacement was scheduled for July 31, 2014.
“Any joint replacement is done when someone
loses all his cartilage and has considerable pain
that’s not compatible with living,” Dr. Hamm says.
The procedure requires a 4-inch incision and
little disruption to the muscle. Patients spend
one night in the hospital and then have limited
movement for about six weeks before starting
physical therapy.
Dr. Hamm says he normally does shoulder
replacements on older patients, but at the
same time, it’s not a procedure that should be
put off.
“Shoulders should remain relatively pain-
free for people all the time,” Dr. Hamm says.
“If you do have pain or loss of motion, many
times you’re developing damage that could
be prevented. Our biggest problem is people
waiting too long until the shoulder is destroyed,
and then you can’t do anything, surgically or
nonsurgically. Any pain lasting over a month or
two should be evaluated.”
Life with a new joint
When Tim woke up after surgery, he said he
could feel the difference in his shoulder already.
“It was probably the best procedure I’d ever
had,” he says. “When Dr. Hamm came in,
I looked at him and said, ‘I’m ready for the
second one.’”
The left shoulder replacement followed
on Nov. 20, 2014. With both surgeries, Tim
was back to driving within 10 days and rarely
needed his sling. He was able to quickly get
back to cooking barbecue and using his passion
to support local charities, like Homes for Our
Troops and Habitat for Humanity.
“Just being healthy enough to do those things
and not having to worry about aches and pains
anymore is pretty big,” he says. “I never thought
I would feel so much better after replacement
surgery. It’s almost night and day. I know that
my life is going to be better now.”
shouldering the pain
Joint replacement at Methodist Richardson offers lasting relief
Methodist Richardson Medical Center
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❁
Spring 2015
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“My experiences at Methodist Richardson were the best I’ve had from any hospital. The
nurses, the chaplain, the volunteers, the discharge planner — the extra care that was given to
my wife and me on both experiences was undoubtedly, hands down the best.”
— Tim Halls
DOES YOUR SHOULDER
SOUND LIKE BREAKFAST
CEREAL, TOO?
Turn to Methodist
Richardson’s shoulder joint
replacement program
certified by The Joint
Commission for its quality
standards Learn more at
MethodistHealthSystem. org/Ortho