“While vacationing in St Maarten in 2009 I slipped down 12 wet concrete steps, and landed on my side with my left arm extended over my head.  I have been a competitive tri-athlete for about 23 years and my first instinct was to get in the ocean to gently work out the muscles surrounding the shoulder. Luckily, I am also an acupuncturist and was able to use this therapy to keep the pain and swelling under control.  After arriving home from vacation I had an MRI and was diagnosed with a SLAP tear (Superior Labrum Anterior and Posterior) of the labrum. Surgery was my only option for a complete recovery.

I did a lot of networking and found Dr. Millett at The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado. It is a bit of a drive from Colorado Springs, but it has been worth it.  My desire was to continue competing in triathlons, and thus I had some concerns about my future. I was concerned that my biceps would not be symmetrical after having to transpose the long head and re-attach it elsewhere, but Dr. Millett knows his craft and not only was the surgery a success, my worries were put to rest as everything healed just as it should.

I have been so pleased with the outcome of this surgery; I was equally impressed by the physical therapy department as well.  During my recovery, I continued with all the tools that I knew from my own profession, as well as the protocol that was set out by Dr. Millett. At times it would have been easy to NOT come home from a long day and do my PT routine, however, I have seen many patients in my Clinic who did not follow the rehab recommendations; who did not get good results, and thus blame it on a “bad” surgery. I knew that I HAD to do as much as I could to help me get back to where I wanted to be.  Dr. Millett and I were truly partners in my success.

Last year I met my goal to compete in a Half Ironman before I turned 60…and I now have two of them under my belt. Thanks to Dr. Millett, I’m able to remain active and competitive as I train and race.  I owe all of my gratitude to him and his entire staff.”