Sharing Mayo Clinic: Shoulder injury can’t sideline young coach

When Nicholas Oeltjen, a physical education teacher and coach, suffered a complex shoulder injury, his Mayo care team crafted a treatment plan that got him back on the field.

Nicholas Oeltjen is no stranger to shoulder pain. The 24-year-old endured one shoulder injury and a subsequent surgery several years ago. So when he heard a pop and a crunch while lifting weights one afternoon in June 2017, he immediately knew something was wrong.

Feeling as if history was repeating itself, Nicholas found himself scheduled for a consultation with Michael R. Johnson, M.D. — the orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing, Minnesota, who performed his first shoulder surgery. This time, however, Nicholas' injury proved to be a bit more complex.

An MRI revealed a labral tear of the shoulder — the cartilage in Nicholas' shoulder joint was being pulled away from the socket and no longer was able to hold the ball of the joint in place. Dr. Johnson referred Nicholas to his colleague Gregory Erickson, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing who specializes in sports medicine. Read the rest of the story.
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This article originally appeared on the Sharing Mayo Clinic blog.