Bruce Gregg Pickleball Recovery Story: Bruce Gregg, a longtime athlete and pickleball player, returned to the game he loves after undergoing nerve ablation treatment at Rocky Mountain Orthopedics. After years of joint pain due to osteoarthritis in both knees, the non-surgical therapy helped him get back to his active lifestyle without discomfort.
Finding Relief Without Surgery
Bruce Gregg had been active for decades—running, cycling, and hiking. But after discovering pickleball eight years ago, he faced a new challenge: ongoing knee pain that made playing difficult. He was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both knees by Dr. Justin McCoy at Rocky Mountain Orthopedics.
“I’ve always lived an active lifestyle and didn’t want to have to stop because of the pain, but I wasn’t ready for knee replacement surgery,” Bruce Gregg said.
Choosing Nerve Ablation
Dr. Justin McCoy, director of sports medicine at St. Mary’s Regional Hospital, discussed options with Bruce. Together, they chose radiofrequency nerve ablation, a non-invasive procedure that targets nerve pain.
“They have a variety of options and explained each very thoroughly,” Bruce Gregg said. “Nerve ablation was just what I was looking for to get relief from the pain without having to undergo surgery. It worked very well for me and I’m now a strong advocate of the procedure.”
Dr. Justin McCoy explained how the treatment works: “Nerve ablation typically benefits someone who has pain that is not being managed well with traditional treatments like injections or physical therapy, but isn’t ready for surgery. It’s a very effective procedure that sort of meets in the middle and provides substantial relief.”
He added, “Essentially, we use radiofrequency to create a heat lesion that burns the nerves in a specific area of a joint or the spine and disrupts the input to the brain. It’s a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure that most people can tolerate without any sort of sedation. It is highly effective in helping to manage pain from osteoarthritis.”
Back to the Court
Bruce Gregg had a clear goal—he wanted to play pickleball three times a week, pain-free.
“My goal was to play pickleball pain-free three times a week,”. “I wanted a minimally invasive procedure that I could recover from quickly and get back to my life, and nerve ablation was the answer for me.”
His recovery was quick. “The day after the treatment I felt great. And ten days later I was back to all my normal activities, hiking and playing pickleball with no pain,” he said. “To anyone who is suffering from joint pain like I was, I highly recommend investigating radiofrequency nerve ablation. It has allowed me to quickly resume my active lifestyle and for that I’m very grateful.”
News in Brief: Bruce Gregg Pickleball Recovery Story
Bruce Gregg returned to pickleball after receiving radiofrequency nerve ablation treatment at Rocky Mountain Orthopedics. The non-surgical option, recommended by Dr. Justin McCoy, helped him manage knee pain caused by osteoarthritis. Bruce now enjoys an active lifestyle again and supports the therapy for others facing joint pain.
Wow, Bruce’s story really resonates with me—I’ve also been dealing with knee
pain from osteoarthritis and have been exploring non-surgical options like nerve ablation. It’s encouraging to
see such positive results! Has he mentioned how long his recovery took, and if he’s made any lifestyle changes to help maintain his knee health?