[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/09\/maxs-story\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/09\/maxs-story\/","headline":"Max’s Story: Getting a Baseball Player Back to the Sport He Loves","name":"Max’s Story: Getting a Baseball Player Back to the Sport He Loves","description":"Max Fancher has played baseball for as long as he can remember. \u201cI feel like it is part of who I am,\u201d he says. Max was only 6 when he joined his first organized baseball team and has stuck with it ever since. \u201cI’ve just always done it,\u201d Max says. Max, 17, pitches and plays […]","datePublished":"2024-09-04","dateModified":"2024-10-16","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/orthopaedics-regions","name":"UPMC Orthopaedic Care","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/orthopaedics-regions","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/orthopaedic-surgery\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/GettyImages-1731560391.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/GettyImages-1731560391.jpg","height":867,"width":1999},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/09\/maxs-story\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Orthopaedics"],"wordCount":1027,"articleBody":"Max Fancher has played baseball for as long as he can remember.\u201cI feel like it is part of who I am,\u201d he says.Max was only 6 when he joined his first organized baseball team and has stuck with it ever since.\u201cI’ve just always done it,\u201d 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.\u2018I Felt My Shoulder Jam Up\u2019In July 2020, when Max was 13, a normal maneuver ended in an injury to his right shoulder.\u201cI was diving back into third base, and I felt my shoulder jam up,\u201d Max says. \u201cI felt it move out of place.\u201dThe team’s athletic trainer popped his shoulder back into place, but Max knew something was seriously wrong.\u201cI stopped playing immediately because I couldn’t throw,\u201d Max says. \u201cI couldn’t do anything.\u201dAfter 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 MomentDr. 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.\u201cMy experience with injuries as a former athlete fueled my desire to pursue medicine,\u201d he says. \u201cNow, as I treat athletes like Max, my role has come full circle.\u201dDr. 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.\u201cDr. Richmond was so kind and calm,\u201d she says. \u201cHe was so good with a kid of Max’s age.\u201dDr. 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.\u201cWhat blew me away was the day after Max’s surgery,\u201d she says. \u201cDr. Richmond himself called us to check in and see how Max was doing.\u201dThe 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.\u201cMax was very dedicated to his recovery,\u201d Dr. Richmond says. \u201cHe followed the postoperative plan and worked hard in physical therapy.\u201dAn All-Too-Familiar FeelingIn 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.\u201cIt was the same thing I felt before with my shoulder,\u201d he says. \u201cIt just shifted.\u201dHe was in disbelief at what had just happened.\u201cI couldn’t believe I had injured my other shoulder,\u201d Max says.Karen didn’t question whom to choose for Max’s care. She scheduled an appointment with Dr. Richmond right away.\u201cI immediately thought, \u2018We’re going back, and we’re not going to mess around with this,\u2019 she says.\u201cWhen we saw Dr. Richmond, and I remember very clearly, he said, \u2018I saw your name on the patient list, and I thought you were coming back for the same arm,\u2019\u201d 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.\u201cHe knew about throwing. Dr. Richmond even took my arm through the throwing motion and asked me if it hurt,\u201d 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.\u201cI feel like Dr. Richmond respected my opinion and that he was explaining it to me and not just my parents,\u201d 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.\u201cIt was really unfortunate for Max to experience another injury, but he managed his adversity with a determined attitude to recover successfully again,\u201d Dr. Richmond says. \u201cI was proud to contribute to his favorable outcome.\u201dBack on the Pitcher’s MoundIn 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.\u201cMy shoulders don’t hold me back,\u201d Max said.Dr. Richmond feels pleased with Max’s return to the pitcher’s mound.\u201cI pursued the specialty of orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine to treat patients just like Max,\u201d Dr. Richmond said. \u201cIt 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.\u201d"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2024","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"09","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/\/09\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Max’s Story: Getting a Baseball Player Back to the Sport He Loves","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/09\/maxs-story\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]