On October 13, 2022, Aidan Morgan was playing tackle football on the D line when he was hit on his left shoulder by a massive 240-pound lineman. Aidan, who weighed in at just 156 pounds, suffered a shoulder dislocation which sent pain searing through his body. He fell to the ground. The other player then lost his footing, falling on top of Aidan’s left side, causing his shoulder to jolt violently back in place.

Aidan recalls, “In the moment my shoulder dislocated, I felt all of it, yet I didn’t know fully what had happened because I had adrenaline pumping, but once I was on the ground, the pain came in full force.”

A Serious Shoulder Injury

Aidan sat on the ground, dazed by the violent tackle. The medical crew rushed to his aid and removed his gear. Once they had him off the field, they assessed the damage. Since his shoulder had popped back into place, they put him in a sling and urged him to see his doctor following the game to ensure there was no serious injury.

Meanwhile, Aidan’s parents were 1000s of miles away in Mexico, while Aidan was in the care of family friends. When Tina Morgan, Aidan’s mom, received the call about his injury, her heart dropped.

She says, “I was scared to death. It was his second to last game, and he’d played the entire season without incident. The trainers from his school reassured me and did assessments that following Monday. This gave me some relief, but we were eager to see our son after this freak accident.”

Tina noticed upon her return home that while Aidan could do basic tasks, he had trouble with range of motion. She decided they needed to schedule with their Wake Orthpaedics doctor, Ronald Summers, MD.

“Within a couple of weeks, I noticed his pain was continual with anything above his head. That’s when we realized that we were in trouble, and we visited Dr. Summers a few weeks after the incident.”

Next Steps with Wake Orthopaedics

On November 11, 2022, Aidan received computed tomography imaging at WakeMed Cary Hospital.

“It didn’t take long at all for us to get a call from Dr. Summers to get the results of Aidan’s scans,” shares Tina. “Because of the severity of the injury and his young age, Dr. Summers referred us to his colleague for a consult.”

Dr. Summers looked at the extent of the damage and referred the family to orthopaedic shoulder surgeon Jonathan Chappell, MD, who specializes in these kinds of injuries. Since it was critical for the family that Aidan maintain both his range of motion and strength, he would require a specialized surgery, called a left shoulder labral repair. He would also require an intensive physical therapy regimen if he had any hopes of returning to sports.

On November 29, 2022, Aidan had surgery.

Aidan reflects, “I was worried about losing a lot of things, like swimming and baseball. Baseball is my main sport, and I’m a left-handed hitter — the site of the injury area. I also swim and compete in the butterfly to prepare for baseball. I didn’t know what I’d do if I could never play baseball again.”

Tina remembers, “Dr. Chappell gave Aidan a good report of being able to return to the sports he loved if he was willing to put in the work. Yet, Aidan didn’t hear the part about cautions around the repair. Dr. Chappell said that anytime a repair takes place, the unexpected could happen. While he was confident, he also wanted us, as his parents, to be cautiously optimistic.”

A Shoulder Surgery Like No Other

Aidan’s surgery was expected to be an hour and a half, but because of the severity of the damage and the complexity of ensuring he would maintain his ability to play, it took two and a half hours.

Dr. Chappell explains, “Aidan’s injury was a bit of an unusual case because he had a tear of the cartilage in his shoulder in an abnormal spot. The tear was in the back toward the lower part of the shoulder, which is a less common location for a tear. These tears can be a little unpredictable. Very fine-tuned surgeries are required to fix them.”

Dr. Chappell gave the family a timeline of four to six months for recovery, which meant no winter sports as well as no sports most of the spring season.

Tina says, “I wasn’t bothered by the recovery window. Aidan was just 14 at the time. He still had a few years to play sports. But, it was tough. He didn’t get to swim that winter because of the brace. Everything in his life had to change after his surgery. Just getting dressed was a huge chore because he couldn’t go above his head, so part of our focus was keeping his spirits up.”

Following a carefully executed surgery, Aidan awoke to learn his surgery was a success, and his recovery would take time.

“As I woke up from the surgery,” Aidan shares, “I felt pain where they had gone in with the probes and tacked my shoulder back together. Within six hours of surgery, I was able to move my hand and fingers, which doesn’t happen ordinarily.”

Aidan started physical therapy the following Monday at a location that specializes in baseball injuries for pitchers and catchers. This he did as an outpatient three days a week, as the team worked to slowly retrain his muscles and increase his range of motion.

A Return to Sports

Months passed, and by March 2023, Aidan grew antsy. He longed to experience the thrill of throwing a baseball. He begged his mom if he could try it, so they registered him for a throwing program.

Tina shares, “He went to the throwing program and started out throwing just five balls. By the following week, he had moved up to 10 balls. Each week, they would evaluate him to see if he could do more. “

One April 11, 2023, he was finally officially released to exit the dugout and get back onto the field. Aidan showed out. He played hard and even crashed into the base, sending terrified shockwaves throughout his baseball family. Yet, he suffered no injury and proved in that moment he was back!

Today, Aidan is 15, five feet 11 inches and 175 pounds. He has made a comeback to both swimming and baseball and is stronger than ever!

Dr. Chappell notes, “We are happy to see that he was able to get back to throwing sports and swimming. Ultimately, I’m pleased that he had a very good outcome.”

Grateful, Aidan shares, “Dr. Chappell really helped me a lot through this surgery. He did an amazing job, and I’m thankful.”

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About Wake Orthopaedics

For 20 years, Wake Orthopaedics has been serving the Triangle community with comprehensive orthopaedic care to help their patients regain their mobility and restore their quality of life. With specialties and expertise in conditions of the bones, muscles and joints, our team of board-certified and fellowship-trained specialists utilize progressive treatments and state-of-the-art technology to care for everything from hip fractures to ACL injuries to arthritis. In addition to traditional orthopaedic services, Wake Orthopaedics provides trauma services, rehabilitation services and care for pediatric injuries. Wake Orthopaedics is a WakeMed Physician Practice.

About WakeMed Cary Hospital

Cary Hospital is the only full-service hospital in Cary, NC, bringing advanced medical care and innovative technology to one of the top-rated places to live in the nation. Conveniently located in western Wake County, it serves as a regional epicenter for specialized medical services and comprehensive care. The hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission and has won numerous awards for excellent quality, service and compassionate care.

About WakeMed Imaging Services

WakeMed Imaging Services is a full-service imaging department offering advanced technology, convenient access and prompt testing and results. As professionals who have a true passion for care and caring, we focus on providing excellent, individualized service to each patient. Additionally, we have been designated a Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology, one of the largest and most influential medical associations in the United States.