Conditions + Treatments
Foot Injury/Condition
Hip Replacement (Anterior)
Tommy John Surgery (UCL Reconstruction)
My journey with Andrews Sports Medicine began not with me, but with my youngest son. Years ago, while playing baseball, his arm gave out suddenly, and what followed was a parent’s nightmare - rushed emergency visits, the dreaded diagnosis of a pulled growth plate, surgery, and eventually, Tommy John surgery with Dr. Benton Emblom.
I watched my son endure the pain, the rehab, the fear of never pitching again; but through Dr. Emblom’s steady hands and constant support, he made it back to the mound, finishing his Spain Park High School career and even chasing opportunities in college. That chapter showed me firsthand the expertise and compassion at Andrews Sports Medicine.
I would come to rely on them myself sooner than I’d expected. In college, playing sports, I’d dislocated a hip - a pain that would linger for decades until it became unbearable. Dr. James Flanagan at Andrews Sports Medicine did not just perform my total hip replacement; he made the recovery feel manageable, assuring me along the way, and getting me back on my bike and to the life I’d set aside for too long. When the other hip wore out from the years of compensation, Dr. Flanagan took care of that, too, with the same steady reassurance.
Not long after, I needed Dr. Emblom’s help again. Decades of use and a sudden accident with a lawnmower left me with a ruined shoulder - every tendon and ligament torn. He rebuilt my shoulder and made sure I never felt alone through my surgeries and tough recoveries, always making time for my questions and encouraging me at every check-in.
But the true test, the one that nearly broke me, was my foot. After a failed bunion surgery somewhere else, I found myself in worsening agony, the infection spreading, every doctor I saw growing more alarmed. It was a friend’s urgent insistence that got me through Andrews’ doors - lucky for me, the doors that would save my foot and my spirit. Dr. Charles Pitts and his team moved with compassion and urgency from the very first call. I could feel that I was more than just another case: my fear, my pain, my hope all mattered to them.
Dr. Pitts didn’t just operate - he made me an equal partner in my recovery. His honesty was both a comfort and a shock; he told me outright I might lose a part of my foot, but then just as quickly made it clear that his goal was to make sure that didn’t happen.
There was no easy fix; he told me I had to stop antibiotics, to let things settle before he could attempt surgery. It was excruciating, having to trust the process - yet Dr. Pitts and his staff kept me afloat. They called, they checked in, they reassured me and my family, and treated my fight as their own.
Surgery was complex. Everything infected had to be taken out, and I underwent weeks of antibiotics via a PICC line, battling exhaustion and uncertainty. Through it all, Dr. Pitts and the team - Emily, Josie, and others - showed an unwavering dedication to my outcome and well-being. When the time came for reconstruction, I was anxious, but Dr. Pitts explained every step, never letting me lose hope or feel alone.
Now, when I step or ride my bike, I feel not only the strength in my repaired foot but the miracle of being truly cared for at Andrews. Dr. Pitts gave me more than 80% of what I thought I’d lost - mobility, independence, peace of mind - and the gratitude I feel toward him and his team is beyond words. My comeback wasn’t just clinical—it was a restoration of my faith and my future, thanks entirely to their skill and compassion.
