Arthrex Manufacturing Inc. South Carolina (AMISC) Suture Operations Senior Manager Gary Thompson spent more than a decade living with foot pain – the result of falling down the stairs at his house in early 2014.
Because he was able to walk after his fall and felt good enough to go to work, he assumed he hadn’t hurt anything bad enough to warrant immediate attention.
“I did stop running for a couple weeks,” Gary said, reflecting on one of his favorite hobbies. “When I started running again, I had some minor pain. But runners are used to running through pain, so I still didn’t think it was a big deal.”
Over the years, his pain worsened. He tried various shoe inserts and then started taking ibuprofen before setting out for a run. Eventually, the pain became too much to bear, and Gary hung up his running shoes.
He held out for another two years, but when his foot started hurting while doing low-impact activities like walking and playing golf, he decided that was the last straw. So, Gary scheduled an appointment with Michael Sims, MD (Greenville, SC), who specializes in foot and ankle orthopedic surgery.
“It’s hard to say exactly what that fall did to my foot since more than eight years passed before I saw a doctor and got X-rays,” he said. “But by the time I sought help, there was damage to the joints in my midfoot and arthritis had started to develop.”
To address the damaged joints and prevent the arch of Gary’s foot from collapsing in the future, Dr. Sims used an Arthrex dorsal midfoot fusion plate, two DynaNite® staples and 12 screws – all 12 of which were manufactured only about 200 yards from Gary’s desk.
After surgery, Gary wasn’t allowed to put any pressure on his foot for 10 weeks, which gave him ample time to plan the first real walk he wanted to take once he was released.
“Part of my motivation for getting back on my feet was to make the walk across campus to personally thank the people who made the parts used in my surgery.”
Using the implant log from Dr. Sims in combination with Arthrex’s Device History Record (DHR), Manufacturing Engineer II Hunter Cline was able to identify the exact individuals who had a role in making, finishing, cleaning and inspecting the screws that now reside in Gary’s foot. Senior Operations Manager John Skojec then worked with the supervisors overseeing those processes to coordinate an early-morning gathering that would bring together all of the involved individuals from both the day and night shifts.
After walking from his office in Building B to where everyone had gathered in the Milling area in Building A, Gary addressed the group: “We all know we make devices that improve people’s lives, but the people who receive the parts we make so often remain faceless – this time it was a co-worker.”
“Gary’s visit showed us the real impact of our teamwork,” said Senior Cleaning Crew Coordinator Andreanna Williams. “We are the people who made Gary’s life a little less painful and a little happier, and that makes me feel Arthrex Proud.”
CNC Machine Operator III Chris Brock had another obligation the morning of Gary’s visit but said learning he was one of the operators who had made some of the parts used during a co-worker’s procedure will remain one of the highlights of his career.
Although Gary has not gone running yet, he said he’s pretty much back to all of his other normal activities. “Just, for the first time in a very long time, without any pain.”
He then went on to add, “I’ve been involved in making medical devices for 23 years, and in that time, I’ve had the opportunity to witness several patients meeting the individuals who made parts they’ve received. I never thought it would be me in that position, and I was surprised at the emotion I felt. This meeting was – hopefully – a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
