Success Stories

Lisa Miloshoff first heard of Dr. Dan Zanotti eleven years ago when he did an emergency surgery on her sister’s ankle. As the pain in Lisa’s left shoulder became unbearable, she didn’t think twice about who to call.

Until recently, the only treatment for a torn rotator cuff was a full shoulder replacement. However, there is an emerging novel treatment called arthroscopic superior capsule reconstruction that uses a graft, or patch, to repair severe tears. Dr. Zanotti reassured Lisa, “You are a perfect candidate for this, because your tear is so big.”

“When Dr. Zanotti got in there, he saw so many tears,” she says. “He said my rotator cuff was like frayed spaghetti; it was all shredded. He said that what I did to my rotator cuff is what pitchers in baseball do to their rotator cuff.”

While no one is certain how she tore her rotator cuff, Lisa explains that she was a hairdresser for 40 years, constantly holding her arms in the air. “All I heard was, ‘If you ever need your rotator cuff done, don’t get it done, the surgery: it’s awful, it’s awful, it’s awful.’ So, I was petrified.”

In the end, Lisa had no need to worry, “because everything, everything was wonderful. I can’t say enough good about Dr. Zanotti, because he is unbelievable. I have full use of my shoulder.” She continues, “If anyone has to go down this path, they don’t need to be afraid or anything.”

While recovery typically takes at least a year, Dr. Zanotti says Lisa has been 99.9% ahead of the game. She recently had her last visit, and her surgery was just seven months ago! Lisa contributes the success of her recovery to her diligence in following all of Dr. Zanotti’s instructions, particularly icing constantly and going to physical therapy three times a week.

“This procedure that he used on me, I would recommend it to everybody, but he’s the best.” She says, “He is, without a doubt, very professional. Not only were he and his staff caring and compassionate, I feel like I have friends. They’re wonderful. I can’t say enough about them.”

If you are experiencing rotator cuff problems, call 440-329-2800 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Dan Zanotti at The Center for Orthopedics.