{"id":95467,"date":"2019-02-21T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-21T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wrist-surgery-puts-retired-coach-back-in-play\/"},"modified":"2019-02-21T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-02-21T12:00:00","slug":"wrist-surgery-puts-retired-coach-back-in-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wrist-surgery-puts-retired-coach-back-in-play\/","title":{"rendered":"Wrist surgery puts retired coach back in play"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Bob
Bob Hofman, former head coach of the Fort Lewis College men\u2019s basketball team, can shoot a basketball again after a recent surgery. A new wrist joint restored much of his flexibility.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Bob Hofman coached the Fort Lewis College Skyhawks to numerous basketball titles during his tenure, but a surgery to ease his pain kept him from shooting hoops for decades.<\/p>\n

Hofman lost all the flexibility in his right wrist after he had bones in his arm and wrist fused in the late 1990s. At the time, he was told a fusion was the only way to treat his pain from arthritis, which was the result of a broken wrist bone that didn\u2019t heal properly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you shook my hand, I would go to the ground,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Hofman\u2019s arthritis was likely caused by a broken scaphoid, one of the eight carpal bones in the wrist, and a notoriously difficult bone to treat because of its low blood flow, said Dr. Brian Butzen<\/a>, the orthopedic surgeon at Animas Surgical Hospital who un-fused Hofman\u2019s wrist. Butzen specializes in shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand injuries and conditions.<\/p>\n

\"Former
Former Fort Lewis College basketball coach Bob Hofman had his right wrist fused in the late 1990s, and as a result, he lost all flexibility in the wrist.<\/span>Courtesy of Brian Butzen<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The fusion surgery turned Hofman\u2019s wrist joint into a solid mass of bone that included the end of his radius, an arm bone, and seven of his wrist bones. A metal plate was implanted from his arm to a bone in his hand as part of the fusion.<\/p>\n

Hofman doesn\u2019t remember how he broke his wrist, but he deeply regretted the fusion surgery for years as a coach.<\/p>\n

Hofman, 67, started coaching in 1974 and retired from FLC after 20 years with the school. His first stint with the college was from 1983 to 1987, and the second was from 2000 to 2016. During his time at FLC<\/a>, his teams won three regular season conference titles, four Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament championships, six RMAC West Division titles and appeared in the NCAA Division II playoffs seven times.<\/p>\n

The wrist fusion surgery forced him to live and coach differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to learn how to fake everything and use my left hand,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He recalled feeling like a toddler because he couldn\u2019t dribble the ball or shoot. He couldn\u2019t bend his wrist at all in any direction, making the necessary wrist flick for a basketball shot impossible.<\/p>\n

The lack of mobility in his wrist forced him to rely heavily on his shoulder and distorted his motion on the right side of his body. For example, he had to rely on his shoulder to screw in a light bulb, he said.<\/p>\n

He asked about 10 doctors for a solution and researched his problem online, but without success, he said.<\/p>\n

Butzen was treating Hofman\u2019s shoulder about two years ago for a rotator cuff injury among other problems when the two started discussing Hofman\u2019s wrist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would do anything to not to have this wrist fused,\u201d Hofman recalled telling Butzen.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Brian Butzen, an orthopedic surgeon at Animas Surgical Hospital, restored mobility to Bob Hofman\u2019s fused wrist by putting in an artificial joint.<\/span>Courtesy of Brian Butzen<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The restored flexibility Hofman was asking for required Butzen to take the fused wrist apart and put in a new joint, made of plastic and metal. Butzen had never done such a procedure, and he hasn\u2019t done one since, although he regularly replaces wrists. He researched the procedure for several months before the surgery and talked with Hofman extensively about the potential risks.<\/p>\n

In order to put in a new joint, Butzen had to take out a rectangular chunk of bone just below where Hofman\u2019s radius previously ended, Butzen said.<\/p>\n

Radius bones are normally hard on the end, but that wasn\u2019t the case for Hofman\u2019s bone because of the fusion. So when Butzen implanted the new joint into the end of Hofman\u2019s radius, he packed some additional bone from the chunk he removed in the arm to add density, he said.<\/p>\n

Hofman has not had normal wrist flexibility since high school, so it is difficult for him to say how the new joint compares to flexibility in an average person. But the new joint has allowed him to do normal tasks, such as holding the handlebar on his bike and unscrewing the cap on the stem of a car tire, he said.<\/p>\n

\"Bob
Bob Hofman, former head coach of the Fort Lewis College men\u2019s basketball team, can shoot a basketball again thanks to surgery to implant a new wrist joint. The surgery also restored his ability to do other basic tasks, such as screwing in light bulbs.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A new wrist joint typically provides about 50 percent of a normal wrist range of motion, Butzen said. Hofman has a little more motion than is typical, but he has been working hard on it, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe surgery went just like clockwork,\u201d Butzen said.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest risks Hofman faced was the implant coming loose, and if that happened, Butzen would likely have had to re-fuse Hofman\u2019s wrist, Butzen said.<\/p>\n

Hofman said he would \u201cdo anything\u201d to regain his wrist motion. But if his commitment to the surgery had been anything less, it would likely have been too risky, Butzen said.<\/p>\n

The doctor said he advised Hofman to avoid high-impact activities that could loosen the implant, such as riding a mountain bike or splitting wood by hand.<\/p>\n

The wrist fusion Hofman had is a common treatment for arthritis, especially for younger patients who are not good candidates for wrist-replacement surgery, Butzen said.<\/p>\n

The replacement surgery is best for those who are living a less-demanding lifestyle, he said. For example, mountain biking, manual labor or falling during adventure sports are too much for people with wrist replacements, he said.<\/p>\n

\"Bob
Bob Hofman, former head coach of the Fort Lewis College men\u2019s basketball team, could not shoot or dribble basketballs for years because his wrist bones were fused. Hofman, who retired two years ago, can now take up golf because surgery to replace his right wrist joint restored flexibility.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Hofman said he has had to relearn how to use his wrist and strengthen it, but he is pleased with the results. His new flexibility could allow him to get back into golf, a sport he excelled in as a kid.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, it\u2019s a miracle,\u201d he said of the surgery.<\/p>\n

Hofman still considers himself a jock and works out every day. But after more than 10 surgeries, including two knee replacements, because of his active lifestyle, he has a lighthearted view of his own physical condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople I don\u2019t know say, \u2018You\u2019re the bionic man.\u2019 No, I\u2019m Mr. Potato Head, \u201d he said.<\/p>\n

mshinn@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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