Better Health 34 ENG

ight then because my situation as an
athlete golfer was extremely sensitive
and we wanted to make sure our next
move was the right one. My father’s
friend, who is a doctor, recommended
that I go to Bumrungrad International
Hospital for the operation. I flew back
to Bangkok that very day. I had fallen
at around 10 am that morning, and as
soon as I got to the hospital, at around
10 pm that night, I had my operation.
“The first thing that came to mind
when I fell was the tremendous fear
that I wouldn’t be able to practice. Being
injured would cost me so much time!
The doctor informed me of the risk that
I might not be able to move my wrist
normally after surgery, and I might not
be able to play golf as well as I used to.
My hopes of returning to play on the
national team and going professional
were gone. I was very distraught. I
could barely move my elbow, it was
very painful. But a month after the
surgery, I gradually regained wrist
movement, almost back to normal.”
Keep fighting, for yourself
and everyone around you
After his release from the hospital,
James’ treatment continued with
physical therapy once a week. The
therapist extended and bent his
shoulder and elbow to prevent them
from healing improperly in a way that
restricted his range of motion. “It was
incredibly painful, but all I was thinking
of then was that I must be patient and
that I had to recover,” James says, “not
only for myself, but also for my family,
and my country. I had a tournament at
the SEA Games in Myanmar waiting
for me. I was one of the four on-ground
players. If I didn’t recover in time, the
team would lose one of its players.”
Two months after his surgery, which
required inserting a plate into his arm,
James started practicing golf using only
his right hand, putting short distances.
He began with easy and light moves,
then to more rigorous training under the
supervision and support of his family,
coach, and friends. “I had to encourage
myself to carry on, because every time
I did physical therapy, it was painful,”
12
Not just recovered,
but a 100 percent
come back
Treating Netipong “James” Srithong
was a special case because it
entailed helping a gifted golfer
who contributed to the betterment
of Thailand. Better Health gets the
renowned athlete’s treatment details
from Dr. Wirat Kongcharoensombat,
a specialist in orthopedic surgery.
The high stakes of James’ case
James’ broken arm was what we call
a comminuted distal one-third of
shaft humerus fracture, which means
his bones had broken above his
elbow. Of most concern were the
nerves around the broken bone area.
One wrong move could be disastrous,
necessitating him to rest for years or
James says. “But I never backed down,
not even for a second. My arm swelled
up, but the doctor told me to open and
close my hand frequently to help the
blood circulate. I did everything he said.
Never once did I consider giving up.”
In December of 2013, James joined
his first post-surgery tournament. He
started at the Nomura Cup, SEA Games,
followed by the ASEAN Games in South
Korea. At the end of 2014, he had
another operation at Bumrungrad to
remove the plate. James was even more
nervous about this surgery because
he knew if he couldn’t move his arm
afterwards, his pro golf dream was over.
in the worst case, making him
permanently unable to tilt his wrist
and fingers.
Did you feel more pressure because
the patient was a promising athlete?
Not really. But I did have some
concerns because I knew he was
playing in the SEA Games, and he
wanted to go professional after that.
We couldn’t give treatment for a
merely serviceable recovery. We had
to do it fast and preserve his highlevel
golf skills. I was concerned about
how fast he could get back to playing
and whether he would regain his preaccident
capabilities. My team and I
at Bumrungrad did our best.
How was the outcome?
The patient’s discipline in following
his treatment plan helped his
recovery. Just a few months after
surgery he was able to resume his
practice schedule. We arranged a
physical therapy program that
helped him to recover as soon as
possible. Today he is one hundred
percent healthy.
But everything went well. “After the
surgery to remove the plate I had six
months to prepare for the SEA Games
in Singapore,” James says. “I hoped to
win an individual gold medal because
I had failed twice at that. I also wanted
to become a professional golfer after the
SEA Games – and I did. And that’s the
medal of which I am most proud.”
Today, 22-year-old James golfs
professionally, and has competed in
Asian tournaments before stepping up
to World tournaments. According to
James’ experience, when you choose
to “move on” with determination, all
that’s left is achieving success.