By Sarah Kuper
Before becoming an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in athletic and arthritic conditions, Tyler Marshall was a varsity athlete at Hoover High School.
So he said he knows the pressures of high school sports, especially in Alabama.
“I understand the scenario – it’s Johnny’s senior year, he is the team captain, his shoulder comes out of socket and all everyone wants is for him to get back in the game,” he said.
But, Marshall warns, in the long run that may not be what is best for Johnny.
In his study presented at this summer’s American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine annual meeting, Marshall concluded that long-term outcomes for shoulder injuries are improved if athletes have surgical repairs after the first incident, especially for patients between the ages of 16 and 25.
He said he understands that most parents don’t want to rush their teen athlete to the operating table after one shoulder dislocation, but his study shows that surgical repair reduces the risk of recurrent injury, thus saving the individual from the possibility of shoulder trouble later in life.
“Everyone wants to get their kid back on the field,” he said. “Truthfully, the shoulder will feel better after some time, but once the shoulder has come out of socket, there is a 70 percent chance it will happen again within the same sports season.”
Marshall said that every time the shoulder comes out of the socket, cartilage is destroyed and it leads to chronic shoulder pain.
He’s witnessed this firsthand while training at UAB and the Cleveland Clinic.
During residency and fellowship, Marshall worked with college and professional sports teams such as the University of Alabama at Birmingham football team and the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.
But, he said he focused his research and now much of his practice on younger athletes.
“It blends my interest and experience. High school athletes are putting their shoulder through extreme competition. They are pushing their limits and demanding a lot of themselves.”
Marshall said the most common sports that result in the injuries he focuses on in his study are contact sports such as football, basketball, soccer and rugby.
After finishing his fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in 2015, Marshall and his wife came back home to Hoover, where he practices at Alabama Orthopaedic Spine & Sports Medicine Associates.
He said he came back after completing his training because Hoover is home.
“It is great to come home and serve the community you grew up in,” Marshall said.
Marshall specializes in many sports-related procedures, including joint repairs and replacements.
The shoulder repair surgery is minimally invasive and generally has a six-week recovery period.
Marshall said he understands the hesitancy athletes, coaches and parents have, and he isn’t trying to push surgery on everyone, but he wants to have an honest conversation.
“It’s easy to get wrapped up in the pageantry of competitive high school football. But 99 percent of these athletes are not going to take it to the next level, so it makes sense to put their health as a priority,” he said.
