Former NFL Player Receives Orthopedic Care From MSH Orthopedic Surgeon Who Knows Football

Bobby Sewall was bench pressing at a Manhattan gym in the fall of 2019 when he tore his pectoralis muscle. The physical therapists at the gym recommended Paul J. Cagle, Jr., MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Mount Sinai West. Dr. Cagle specializes in treating the shoulder and elbow. Bobby called Dr. Cagle and got an appointment for that afternoon. “We try to get people in as quickly as we can,” Dr. Cagle explains.

As a former NFL wide receiver, who played for the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Sharks, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bobby was pleased by Dr. Cagle’s medical expertise—and his football background. During his college years, Dr. Cagle was a two-time Academic All-America scholar-athlete in football, and he reflects on those years to help understand and treat athletes at all levels. “Since he has knowledge of the sport, he knew I wanted to get back to working out as soon as possible,” Bobby says.

Based on a physical exam, Dr. Cagle determined that Bobby had a traumatic injury, a diagnosis confirmed that evening when a magnetic resonance imaging test showed an aggressive tear in the pectoralis muscle. Dr. Cagle scheduled Bobby for surgery the next day. “With these kinds of injuries, it’s best to take care of them as quickly as you can,” he says. Bobby felt he was in excellent hands. “Dr. Cagle made me feel comfortable,” he says. “He explained everything thoroughly, and I felt really good with all of his explanations.”

After the outpatient procedure, Bobby, now a financial advisor, did physical therapy for a few months and progressed better than expected. “I was pleased with his progress,” Dr. Cagle says. “Six months post-surgery, Bobby was bench pressing 315 pounds, more weight than before the injury.

Bobby says his surgery was “seamless,” and he speaks highly of his Mount Sinai doctor. “I can’t reiterate enough how kind and thorough he was and how he prioritized the urgency of my condition. It felt like he cared about my injury as much as I did. He knew how bad it was and assured me that I would get back to normal.”