Today’s the day Clay Cooper has rotator-cuff surgery in Reno to fix the golden arm of one of our all-time greats, and we wish him a successful surgery so he can get back to what he loves most in life besides people—heeling steers. Typically, rotator-cuff injuries are caused by repetitive overhead motion, which has been a big part of his job description for decades. But this was not a case of Clay just wearing his shoulder out over time.
“It was just a crazy, senseless injury caused by my own lack of self-awareness,” he said. “I have a spooky horse that’s scared of a rope on the ground. I roped a steer, got off to get my rope, and tried to flip the rope over his head before I got back on. He turned to run off, I said, ‘Whoa,’ then tried to climb on him with the rope still dragging near him.
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“I got on, then he jumped because I’d already spooked him. I got about three-quarters on, he jumped, and I missed the reins and the horn. Now I’m in freefall, and he spooks from me floundering on him and the first thing that hits is the point of my right shoulder. That was two years ago, and I’ve since spent two years struggling with my shoulder.”
In hindsight, Champ would have sought medical attention sooner.
“I could have gone in right then, but hard-headed me, I just suffered through it, roped with a kids rope and have been roping with my arm down by my side, because Jake (Barnes) wants to rope every day,” Clay said. “I got it back going pretty good, but it’s never been the same and now the last six months it’s been just chronic and getting worse. I finally went and got an MRI, and my rotator cuff is totally detached from the humerus bone (which runs from the shoulder to the elbow).”
Dr. Travis Kieckbusch, whose daughter Brooke is married to team roper Blake Texeira, will today anchor Clay’s rotator cuff back where it belongs. Champ will then spend six weeks in a sling while it heals back to the bone before moving it much. His ETA on roping again is about six months.
“Six months is best-case scenario,” he said. “It might be nine months to a year before it feels normal, like nothing ever happened to it. They say it’s a pretty painful process to get it going again, but now that I know what’s actually wrong and am getting it fixed, I’m looking forward to the other side. It’s going to be another few months, but I’ve had enough of what I’ve gone through the last couple years.
Learn from Champ on Roping.com
“After today, every day is one day closer to being pain-free and back to full-strength operation. I’m looking forward to that. I’m just tired of dealing with it. And I rope every day, so I’ve been dealing with it on a daily basis. At first, I could override the pain, because I’d convinced myself that as long as I kept moving, it would get better and stronger. I was mentally overriding the pain, and roping with about 70% strength when I got it built back up after the injury.
“But as time’s gone on, it’s gotten worse and there’s a catch in it that comes with a severe bite. Now when I go to throw my rope or pull my slack, it’s like sticking me with an ice pick. I can’t override the pain anymore. My body’s to the point where it just stops. I’m a little disappointed in myself for not biting the bullet before now. I’ve lost a couple years, but I’m not using this arm to make a living anymore, like I did for 40 years. I’m taking the right route now, and am looking forward to being able to enjoy roping again. It’s all good.”
Here’s to a successful surgery and fast recovery for Champ!
