In May of 2012, while lifting weights at the gym, I was curling a fair amount of weight on the preacher bench when I felt something tear in my right arm as I set the bar down. It felt like a rope tore in my arm, and I immediately knew something was wrong.
I first spoke to Dr. Howard Weiss, a long time friend and colleague at Brooks Rehabilitation, about what happened to my arm. Dr. Weiss ordered an MRI and was able to determine that I had a near total tear of my dominant hand bicep tendon. Bad news for sure, but he also told me some good news about knowing one of the best orthopedic surgeons in Jacksonville that might be able to do surgery to repair the torn tendon.This surgeon was Dr. Kevin Kaplan of the Jacksonville Orthopedic Institute.
Dr. Weiss contacted Dr. Kaplan by text message while he was on vacation, and amazingly,
Dr. Kaplan sent a message back that he would squeeze me in as soon as he returned to what was already a very full schedule. In less than a week after my injury, I had my first appointment with Dr. Kaplan, which was especially important since time is of the essence with this type of injury. Dr. Kaplan conducted the exam and reviewed my films and confirmed surgery to repair the tendon would produce the best outcome. I was immediately impressed with his competence, confidence, and friendly/affable demeanor. He made it seem like doing this surgery was a relatively simple procedure, which in turn made me certain it was the right course with the right doctor.
We scheduled the surgery for that Thursday and I found both him and his staff to be very reassuring prior to the procedure. After the surgery Dr. Kaplan spoke directly to my wife about how well the procedure had gone and what to expect during recovery, and he even provided his direct cell number in case we needed to contact him. This was very comforting.
Two days later, at a sports related educational conference sponsored by Brooks Rehabilitation being held at Jacksonville University, Dr. Kaplan was doing a presentation on one of his specialties, sports related upper extremity injuries. I had planned on attending the conference before my injury, but so soon after my surgery I was uncertain if I could or should go. I did end up going to the conference and attended Dr. Kaplan’s presentation. Of course my arm was bandaged up and in a sling, and many in attendance just assumed I was one of Dr. Kaplan’s case studies! After the presentation, I ran into Dr. Kaplan at the back of the hall and he proceeded to exam my arm and test my range of motion. He told me that my procedure had gone well and that he anticipated a very good recovery as long as I did not overdo it and allowed the tendon to heal properly. He also showed me how to do some ranging exercises that would help as I recovered.
I met with Dr. Kaplan regularly over the next several months as he monitored my progress during recovery. He removed my splint on the very first visit (I have to admit I was glad to see it go) and I was very impressed with how scrupulous and precise he had been suturing the incision. Dr. Kaplan said he takes pride in this stitching technique, which minimizes scarring, much like a plastic surgeon would do. I also appreciated that Dr. Kaplan understands that having to forgo exercising for someone like me who is so accustomed to working out regularly is difficult, and he made adjustments and accommodations as best he could without sacrificing recovery.
As I write this, I am four months post injury and I already have full range of motion of my arm and am back to lifting weights. Of course starting out I am working with less weight, but I anticipate being back to using the weights I did before my injury in no time. It’s difficult to express how happy I am with the outcome and with the quality of JOI’sservices and staff (both in the office and in the surgical suite). Most of all I am happy and grateful about the care I received from Dr. Kaplan. There are only superlatives to describe the quality of care he provides to his patients and the care he provided to me. As someone who also treats patients, I can especially appreciate his competence and dedication, as well as his skill as a surgeon. He is confident in his abilities while also being very down to earth. And I really appreciate that he understands the research literature about the condition and how it relates to the care he provides. In summary, he is a dedicated and gifted physician and surgeon, and an exceptionally good human being.
Bicep Tendon Repair
In May of 2012, while lifting weights at the gym, I was curling a fair amount of weight on the preacher bench when I felt something tear in my right arm as I set the bar down. It felt like a rope tore in my arm, and I immediately knew something was wrong.I first spoke to Dr. Howard Weiss, a long time friend and colleague at Brooks Rehabilitation, about what happened to my arm. Dr. Weiss ordered an MRI and was able to determine that I had a near total tear of my dominant hand bicep tendon. Bad news for sure, but he also told me some good news about knowing one of the best orthopedic surgeons in Jacksonville that might be able to do surgery to repair the torn tendon.This surgeon was Dr. Kevin Kaplan of the Jacksonville Orthopedic Institute.
Dr. Weiss contacted Dr. Kaplan by text message while he was on vacation, and amazingly,
Dr. Kaplan sent a message back that he would squeeze me in as soon as he returned to what was already a very full schedule. In less than a week after my injury, I had my first appointment with Dr. Kaplan, which was especially important since time is of the essence with this type of injury. Dr. Kaplan conducted the exam and reviewed my films and confirmed surgery to repair the tendon would produce the best outcome. I was immediately impressed with his competence, confidence, and friendly/affable demeanor. He made it seem like doing this surgery was a relatively simple procedure, which in turn made me certain it was the right course with the right doctor.
We scheduled the surgery for that Thursday and I found both him and his staff to be very reassuring prior to the procedure. After the surgery Dr. Kaplan spoke directly to my wife about how well the procedure had gone and what to expect during recovery, and he even provided his direct cell number in case we needed to contact him. This was very comforting.
Two days later, at a sports related educational conference sponsored by Brooks Rehabilitation being held at Jacksonville University, Dr. Kaplan was doing a presentation on one of his specialties, sports related upper extremity injuries. I had planned on attending the conference before my injury, but so soon after my surgery I was uncertain if I could or should go. I did end up going to the conference and attended Dr. Kaplan’s presentation. Of course my arm was bandaged up and in a sling, and many in attendance just assumed I was one of Dr. Kaplan’s case studies! After the presentation, I ran into Dr. Kaplan at the back of the hall and he proceeded to exam my arm and test my range of motion. He told me that my procedure had gone well and that he anticipated a very good recovery as long as I did not overdo it and allowed the tendon to heal properly. He also showed me how to do some ranging exercises that would help as I recovered.
I met with Dr. Kaplan regularly over the next several months as he monitored my progress during recovery. He removed my splint on the very first visit (I have to admit I was glad to see it go) and I was very impressed with how scrupulous and precise he had been suturing the incision. Dr. Kaplan said he takes pride in this stitching technique, which minimizes scarring, much like a plastic surgeon would do. I also appreciated that Dr. Kaplan understands that having to forgo exercising for someone like me who is so accustomed to working out regularly is difficult, and he made adjustments and accommodations as best he could without sacrificing recovery.
As I write this, I am four months post injury and I already have full range of motion of my arm and am back to lifting weights. Of course starting out I am working with less weight, but I anticipate being back to using the weights I did before my injury in no time. It’s difficult to express how happy I am with the outcome and with the quality of JOI’sservices and staff (both in the office and in the surgical suite). Most of all I am happy and grateful about the care I received from Dr. Kaplan. There are only superlatives to describe the quality of care he provides to his patients and the care he provided to me. As someone who also treats patients, I can especially appreciate his competence and dedication, as well as his skill as a surgeon. He is confident in his abilities while also being very down to earth. And I really appreciate that he understands the research literature about the condition and how it relates to the care he provides. In summary, he is a dedicated and gifted physician and surgeon, and an exceptionally good human being.