Max Fancher has played baseball for as long as he can remember.
“I feel like it is part of who I am,” he says.
Max was only 6 when he joined his first organized baseball team and has stuck with it ever since.
“I’ve just always done it,” Max says.
Max, 17, pitches and plays third base for North Allegheny High School and is preparing for his senior season with the team.
But Max is more than just an athlete. He balances his sport with playing the saxophone, working a part-time job, getting his pilot’s license, and managing all the hustle and bustle of high school.
When he injured his right shoulder at age 13, he felt determined to return to the pitcher’s mound. That’s when he came to John Richmond, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at Tri Rivers Musculoskeletal Centers, for treatment.
‘I Felt My Shoulder Jam Up’
In July 2020, when Max was 13, a normal maneuver ended in an injury to his right shoulder.
“I was diving back into third base, and I felt my shoulder jam up,” Max says. “I felt it move out of place.”
The team’s athletic trainer popped his shoulder back into place, but Max knew something was seriously wrong.
“I stopped playing immediately because I couldn’t throw,” Max says. “I couldn’t do anything.”
After one of Max’s teammates referred him to Dr. Richmond, Max’s mom, Karen, a pharmacist at UPMC Passavant, scheduled a same-day appointment.
A Full Circle Moment
Dr. Richmond, also a North Allegheny alumnus and former shortstop for Penn State, brings special expertise to orthopaedics as a former athlete.
His time as a baseball player helped spark his passion for treating athletic injuries.
“My experience with injuries as a former athlete fueled my desire to pursue medicine,” he says. “Now, as I treat athletes like Max, my role has come full circle.”
Dr. Richmond had Max undergo an MRI and x-ray, which revealed that he dislocated his shoulder and chipped off a large piece of cartilage from the ball of the socket.
Karen was understandably worried about what this injury meant for Max’s future. Dr. Richmond talked through the treatment process with Max and his family.
“Dr. Richmond was so kind and calm,” she says. “He was so good with a kid of Max’s age.”
Dr. Richmond and his team performed arthroscopic surgery on Max’s right shoulder on Aug. 19, 2020. Arthroscopic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that allowed Dr. Richmond to remove Max’s chipped cartilage and clean up the injury to his shoulder.
To help repair the lost cartilage, Dr. Richmond opted for a microfracture, so he drilled into Max’s bone to stimulate the formation of new cartilage.
Dr. Richmond took the time to show Max’s parents photos of the procedure and explain what he and his team had done during the surgery. As a health care provider, Karen appreciated getting spoken to as a professional, not just a mom.
“What blew me away was the day after Max’s surgery,” she says. “Dr. Richmond himself called us to check in and see how Max was doing.”
The day after surgery, Max was happy to report to Dr. Richmond that he was up and moving again.
With regular physical therapy, Max’s dominant throwing arm could function normally and allow him to return to pitching the following spring season.
“Max was very dedicated to his recovery,” Dr. Richmond says. “He followed the postoperative plan and worked hard in physical therapy.”
An All-Too-Familiar Feeling
In February 2022, after fully recovering from his initial injury, Max was playing basketball at home with his friends when he reached out for a pass with his left arm. That’s when he felt an all-too-familiar feeling.
“It was the same thing I felt before with my shoulder,” he says. “It just shifted.”
He was in disbelief at what had just happened.
“I couldn’t believe I had injured my other shoulder,” Max says.
Karen didn’t question whom to choose for Max’s care. She scheduled an appointment with Dr. Richmond right away.
“I immediately thought, ‘We’re going back, and we’re not going to mess around with this,’ she says.
“When we saw Dr. Richmond, and I remember very clearly, he said, ‘I saw your name on the patient list, and I thought you were coming back for the same arm,’” Karen recalls.
Dr. Richmond determined it was another shoulder dislocation and initially planned to treat the injury with physical rehabilitation.
Dr. Richmond’s baseball knowledge came in handy when evaluating Max’s injury.
“He knew about throwing. Dr. Richmond even took my arm through the throwing motion and asked me if it hurt,” Max says.
But Max continued to have instability in his left shoulder even with regular physical therapy treatments. Dr. Richmond met with Max and his parents to discuss the next steps in his care path.
“I feel like Dr. Richmond respected my opinion and that he was explaining it to me and not just my parents,” Max says.
Dr. Richmond and Max determined it was time for surgical intervention.
On June 8, 2022, Max underwent another arthroscopic surgery, but this time for his left shoulder.
After his surgery, Max worked hard on physical therapy, and Dr. Richmond cleared him to return to baseball.
“It was really unfortunate for Max to experience another injury, but he managed his adversity with a determined attitude to recover successfully again,” Dr. Richmond says. “I was proud to contribute to his favorable outcome.”
Back on the Pitcher’s Mound
In December 2022, Max felt elated to return to the sport he loves. Now, about to enter his senior year, he’s feeling better than ever.
“My shoulders don’t hold me back,” Max said.
Dr. Richmond feels pleased with Max’s return to the pitcher’s mound.
“I pursued the specialty of orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine to treat patients just like Max,” Dr. Richmond said. “It has been very fulfilling to help him return to playing baseball. As a physician, it is a special privilege to enable patients to return to the activities they enjoy.”