[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/12\/david-story-hamstring-surgery-pt-golf\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/12\/david-story-hamstring-surgery-pt-golf\/","headline":"David\u2019s Story: How Hamstring Surgery, Physical Therapy Helped Him Return to the Golf Course","name":"David\u2019s Story: How Hamstring Surgery, Physical Therapy Helped Him Return to the Golf Course","description":"

After a severe hamstring tear, David underwent surgery with UPMC\u2019s Jonathan Hughes, MD. Five months after surgery, he was able to play golf again.<\/p>","datePublished":"2025-12-12","dateModified":"2025-12-12","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/sports-medicine-regions","name":"Sports Medicine","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/sports-medicine-regions","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/sports-medicine\/","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\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2148383718-e1765562275436.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2148383718-e1765562275436.jpg","height":866,"width":2000},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/12\/david-story-hamstring-surgery-pt-golf\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Rehabilitation","Sports Medicine"],"wordCount":1408,"articleBody":"David Fix started playing golf during the COVID-19 pandemic, when shutdowns kept him from playing music with bands around Pittsburgh.So, when a hamstring tear in March 2025 forced him away from the golf course, it hit him hard.\u201cFor me, to lose golf going into the summer was devastating,” says David, 43, of Pittsburgh.Fortunately, David wasn\u2019t away from the course for too long.He underwent hamstring repair surgery in April with UPMC orthopaedic sports medicine surgeon Jonathan Hughes, MD. He followed that with weekly physical therapy with Trent Vandevort, DPT, at UPMC Rehabilitation Institute \u2014 UPMC Rooney Sports Complex in Pittsburgh\u2019s South Side neighborhood.Now at 100%, David is back on the golf course and thankful for his UPMC care team.Pain ‘Like Lightning’Born and raised in Pittsburgh, David owns Don Farr Moving and Storage, which his father founded more than 40 years ago. He studied music in college and still plays bass in shows with artists in and around western Pennsylvania.On Saturday, March 12, David was loading his equipment into his car for two concerts he planned to play that day when his dog \u2014 an 8-pound Pomeranian he and his wife had recently rescued \u2014 escaped out the front door.\u201cI dropped my stuff, and I go chasing him,\u201d David says. \u201cWe just got this dog, and if he would have died, I would have died. I chased him, and I dropped like a linebacker hit me. I made a turn, and it just didn\u2019t work. So, I fell.\u201cLuckily, he saw me, he came back, and licked my face, and thought it was funny.\u201dDavid felt some pain but didn’t think too much of it. He took a pain reliever, used ice packs, and went on to play both of his concerts.\u201cI just said, \u2018Let\u2019s keep moving. Let\u2019s keep going,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve done that before, where I\u2019ve broken a body part and just kept about my business because I\u2019m pretty stubborn. I\u2019m pretty committed to the things I do.\u201dThe pain lingered for the next couple of days. On Wednesday, he had a work meeting at the golf course. On his first swing of the day, he felt severe pain.\u201cWhen I took that first swing, that pain I had through my body (was) literally like lightning,\u201d David says. \u201cI was trying to stay on my feet and keep my composure because it was a business meeting.\u201cWhen I saw the ninth or 10th hole was at the top of a hill, I just looked at my co-worker and said, \u2018There is no way I\u2019m getting up there.\u2019\u201dDavid ultimately cut his round short and returned home.Fast, Efficient CareDavid and his wife, Rachel, went to the UPMC East emergency department the next morning. His team there saw him quickly and referred him to UPMC Sports Medicine at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.The team there evaluated him and took x-ray imaging. They also scheduled him for a computed tomography (CT) scan, which took place that weekend.The CT scan revealed that David had a severe left hamstring tear. David saw the results in his MyUPMC app.\u201cI was already doing my own research, and I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh, no, I think I tore the bad thing \u2014 the thing you shouldn\u2019t tear,\u2019\u201d he says.The following week, David met with Dr. Hughes, who told him he\u2019d need surgery to repair the tear.David says Dr. Hughes\u2019 confidence made an immediate impression.\u201cThat was the one thing for me when I got to meet with him,\u201d David says. \u201cIt’s scary, right, when everyone goes in for surgery? But with him, it was like, \u2018Next week, we\u2019re going to grab lunch, and we\u2019re going to fix your hamstring.\u2019\u201dDavid also appreciated the help from physician assistant Kara Golya, PA-C.\u201cThose two working together seemed to have a really good rapport,\u201d he says. \u201cShe was knowledgeable enough to answer all the questions you would have, but with Dr. Hughes, he was just so confident that, \u2018If he’s not worried about it, what\u2019s the point in me even worrying about it myself?\u2019\u2019David also appreciated how quickly his care progressed, from his initial emergency department visit to all of his scans to his visit with Dr. Hughes. He even met with the preoperative team to get fitted for a brace on the same day as his appointment with Dr. Hughes.\u201cEverything happened very quickly, which was great,\u201d David says.Starting RecoveryDr. Hughes performed David’s surgery on April 9, less than a month after his initial injury. In addition to repairing the torn hamstring, he also repaired a portion of David\u2019s bone that pulled away when the hamstring tendon tore \u2014 known as an avulsion fracture.As part of his recovery, David needed to wear a brace and use crutches for six to eight weeks. He wore the brace 24 hours a day for the first six weeks. It kept his leg straight, which made everyday tasks like going to the bathroom and putting on socks difficult.\u201cWhat was really nice about UPMC is they gave you that (guide for), \u2018Hey, here\u2019s your first four weeks. Here\u2019s what you\u2019re going to be able to do. Here\u2019s what you\u2019re not going to be able to do. Here\u2019s your next two weeks. Here\u2019s your next two,\u2019\u201d David says. \u201cIt gave you challenges and goals, and it also gave you restrictions.\u201dThough he couldn’t golf, David continued playing concerts around the Pittsburgh area. His first came just nine days after surgery, and he sat on a stool the entire time.\u201cI don\u2019t like to sit still,\u201d he explains. \u201cI don\u2019t like to be injured. I don\u2019t like to be hurt. I know there\u2019s a lot of people that rely on me. Even after getting surgery, I was back at work probably two or three days later because I was just like, \u2018People need to see me.\u2019\u201dFocused on returning to golf, David began physical therapy with Trent. The two developed a strong rapport, with David explaining his goals and Trent designing a rehab plan to get him there.David attacked his rehab with vigor, doing as many exercises as he could to strengthen his leg.\u201cFor me, instead of PT being \u2018physical training,\u2019 I called it \u2018permission training,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cI would go there every week with the hopes that whenever I left, Trent would be able to say, \u2018Hey, you\u2019re OK to be able to do this.\u2019 Every week, I came in so determined because I wanted permission to be able to do things.\u201dDavid also asked Trent to keep Rachel informed of his progress to help ensure he was following proper recovery protocols and that she was aware of his progress.A few weeks into therapy, Trent allowed David to pick up a golf club and take a few swings during his appointment. By mid-July, David could play a nine-hole \u201cgolf experiment\u201d with Rachel.\u201cWe played nine holes, and it was great,\u201d he says.By the end of the summer, David was all clear to play golf again.Back on the CourseIn early September 2025, David\u2019s company helped to sponsor a local charity golf tournament. He played in the tournament in a foursome that included Rachel, a co-worker, and Trent.\u201cIt was great for my wife to finally meet him at the end of the summer,\u201d he says.With David back at full strength, he and Rachel scheduled a vacation to Arizona in November. They planned to play three rounds of golf, including one at TPC Scottsdale \u2014 the site of the well-known Waste Management Open.David is thankful to the team at UPMC, who helped him reach his goals.\u201cIt’s wonderful (to be back), and that\u2019s why that trip to Arizona for us is so important,\u201d he says. \u201cI kind of forced my wife into golf a couple of years ago, after I got involved. I said, \u2018We\u2019re going to grow old together, and we\u2019re going to need something to keep us busy besides going out to eat.\u201cTo go on these trips and be able to have these experiences \u2014 how cool is that? As I grow older, I look forward to be able to grow old with my wife, have her be my partner.\u201dSources"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2025","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"12","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/\/12\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"David\u2019s Story: How Hamstring Surgery, Physical Therapy Helped Him Return to the Golf Course","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/12\/david-story-hamstring-surgery-pt-golf\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]