Overcoming Arthritis: 94-Year-Old Hockey Player Finds Pain Relief and Continues to Shine

JORDAN PYSZ / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Harold holds the 2004 CARHA World Cup trophy he won as a member of the tournament’s top Over-70 team.

Many people think of ice hockey as a young person’s game. Harold Dean has proven that perception false. The retired Connecticut Superior Court judge, 94, has played competitive hockey into his 90s, skating stride-for-stride with men 30 years his junior.

“In 2015, my niece contacted Guinness World Records and gave them some pictures of me playing in a hockey tournament,” remembers Harold, who learned the game as a child in New England and played while attending college in New York.

A year after those photos were sent, at age 86 years, 7 months, 15 days, Harold earned recognition from Guinness as the “Oldest Competitive Ice Hockey Player.”

He later lost that distinction to a 95-year-old, but Harold continued to play hockey into his 90s, this despite being slowed by bone-on-bone arthritis in both shoulders.

“When I play hockey, my right hand is down low on my hockey stick, so my right shoulder didn’t hurt that much,” Harold describes. “But my left shoulder hurt a lot because my left hand is at the top of my hockey stick.”

Seeking a solution for his shoulder pain, Harold turned to Lora L. Brown, MD, a board-certified, fellowship-trained interventional pain specialist at TruWell Health in St. Petersburg.

Blocking Sensory Nerves

“Mr. Dean presented with significant shoulder arthritis,” Dr. Brown recalls. “Surgeons he’d visited previously recommended a reverse shoulder replacement, but Mr. Dean didn’t want to do that, so we did a complete work-up on him and provided treatment for his shoulder pain.

“Initially, we performed a diagnostic sensory nerve block targeting three of the sensory nerves that go to the shoulder. We placed numbing medicine on each of those nerves, and Mr. Dean’s pain diminished by more than 75 percent. We then performed a radiofrequency ablation on his left shoulder for longer-lasting pain relief.”

Radiofrequency ablation uses an insulated needle with just its tip exposed. Once the doctor places the needle in the appropriate anatomic location, a probe is inserted through the needle. The probe is connected to a machine that creates radiofrequency energy that heats the tip.

“We essentially create a deep tissue cautery lesion on the sensory nerves going to the shoulder so they cannot produce pain,” Dr. Brown explains. “We don’t change the arthritis in the shoulder. We simply change the body’s ability to interpret or perceive the pain it is generating.

“This procedure resulted in improved range of motion and decreased pain, and a higher quality of life for Mr. Dean.”

Over time, the nerves targeted by the ablation procedure regenerate. That can cause the pain to return, but radiofrequency ablation can be repeated.

The relief Harold received from his radiofrequency ablation lasted for more than two years. He is currently consulting with the doctor about a repeat procedure.

“Dr. Brown performed an ablation on my left shoulder because that one hurt the most,” Harold confirms. “The next day I had absolutely no pain in that shoulder, which helped me to continue playing hockey.

“I completely credit Dr. Brown for lengthening my hockey career, enabling me to play into my 90s. I owe it all to Dr. Brown.”