SARASOTA, Fla. — Fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon and shoulder and elbow specialist Dr. R. Stephen Otte with Coastal Orthopedics is currently serving as the on-site physician for the Sarasota Open taking place now through April 17.
For the first time in the history of the event, the tournament is being held in the City of Sarasota’s recently renovated Payne Park. Dr. Otte was selected to act as the event’s only on-site physician and is joined by athletic trainers and physical therapists.
Last year, Dr. Otte served as the on-site physician for the 2021 PGA Tour’s World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession Golf Club.
During the week of April 8-17, Dr. Otte will juggle the tournament events while also seeing the practice’s patients and performing surgeries during the day. If a player needs to be seen for an injury, he will get them into the clinic as fast as possible. He will also stop by the event in the afternoons to touch base with the players, as well as the athletic trainers and physical therapists. As an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Otte’s primary goal will be to address acute injuries that may arise and ensure that the players are as healthy as possible to compete.
Over the years, Dr. Otte has treated a number of tennis patients dealing with issues from overuse and injuries, including tennis elbow, rotator cuff tears, shoulder or elbow fractures and shoulder replacements for patients dealing with arthritis.
“I am truly honored to be chosen by the Sarasota Open to act as the on-site physician on behalf of Coastal Orthopedics,” said Dr. Otte. “It is a humbling experience when you have the opportunity to take care of athletes of any level, but certainly professionals.”
Dr. Otte even has a special connection to one of the event’s players, Jack Sock. The two know each other through their fathers, and at one point had the same tennis coach. Dr. Otte can recall first playing with Sock when he was in high school.
“When I was about 16 or 17, I was doing an indoor lesson. When my lesson had finished, my coach asked if I would just start hitting with the next player who had a lesson after me,” said Dr. Otte. “This little kid walked in who had to be about eight or nine years old. Here I am thinking I’m a pretty good player. I had been on the varsity team since I was a freshman and won a state title, and I have to dink it around with a second grader?! But I remember thinking to myself after, ‘This kid is really good!’”
For more than 45 years, the team at Coastal Orthopedics has served the Sarasota-Bradenton community. The physicians have worked with sports teams, athletic organizations and high school teams throughout the area, including Bayshore High School, Braden River High School, Bradenton Christian High School, Cardinal Mooney High School, Manatee High School, Palmetto High School and Southeast High School.
About Coastal Orthopedics
Founded in 1973 and based in Bradenton, Fla., Coastal Orthopedics is home to 20 orthopedic surgeons and pain management physicians who maintain hospital affiliations with Blake Medical Center, Doctors Hospital of Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center and Manatee Memorial Hospital. In addition to three offices and two ambulatory surgery centers each servicing Florida’s West Coast, Coastal Orthopedics’ board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians and surgeons provide patients with the very latest in pain and orthopedic treatment technology. The company strives to repair and heal injuries relating to the entire musculoskeletal system.
For more than 45 years, Coastal Orthopedics’ highly skilled staff of physicians and surgeons has treated patients in specialty care, including sports medicine, joint replacement, pain management and rehabilitation. Patients can experience restoration of function both surgically and non-surgically through the use of physician-guided strengthening, therapy, medications, injections and stretching. For more information, please visit CoastalOrthopedics.com or call 941-792-1404.
About R. Stephen Dr. Otte
With a focus on shoulder and elbow pathology, Dr. Otte sees patients of all ages and treats a variety of conditions, such as rotator cuff injuries, arthritis of the shoulder and elbow, rotator cuff tear arthropathy, shoulder instability, labral tears, biceps tendonitis, medial and lateral epicondylitis and fractures of the shoulder and elbow.
He has written several book chapters covering topics including rotator cuff tears, reverse shoulder replacement and shoulder reconstruction. Dr. Otte has also published papers in several peer-reviewed journals, including the prestigious Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, and his research has been presented at numerous national and international meetings.
He completed his bachelor’s degree and received his doctorate degree at the University of Nebraska before completing his Orthopedic Surgery Residency at Spectrum Health through Michigan State University. Following residency, he completed a fellowship in shoulder and elbow surgery at the prestigious Midwest Orthopaedics at RUSH in Chicago, Ill., where he also helped take care of several professional Chicago sports teams, such as the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls and Chicago Fire.
###
For more information, please contact:
Candice Brown-McElyea
360Candice@gmail.com
941-232-9046