Retired Lakewood resident Nellie Sparks started having problems with her left shoulder about four to five years ago. She first noticed the problem when she tried to take a pose in yoga, and realized she wasn’t as flexible as she should have been. Putting stress on it caused a lot of pain, but Nellie put it off getting addressed for a while, using cortisone shots to get her by.

Finally, unable to deal with the pain which kept her from doing the activities she loved, and struggling to complete everyday tasks like put on her seatbelt, Nellie went to see Dr. Armodios Hatzidakis at Western Orthopedics. He recommended a total shoulder placement with the SIMPLICITI™ Shoulder System and after getting her questions answered, Nellie decided it was time to move forward.

Nellie had her left shoulder replaced on September 23, 2015 and took advantage of all seven weeks of physical therapy to get her mobility back. She is now able to do everyday activities pain-free and she is back to the active lifestyle she enjoyed previously, including biking and hiking whenever she can.

The opinions of Nellie Sparks are hers alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Wright Medical.