In his retirement, Norm Coulter has found joy in dog-walking, spending time outdoors hunting and fishing, and building out his favorite hobby: crafting custom crank bait lures out of balsa, which he airbrushes and sells online and locally in Brown County. But Norm lost the ability to enjoy all of these hobbies after an accident in 2023 left both of his shoulders injured.
Anything that required lifting his arms became too painful to do. A simple dog walk could end in pain if a dog tugged too abruptly. Sleep became elusive.
Norm did everything he could on his own to fix his shoulder pain, including a total of six months of physical therapy. But when his shoulder function wasn’t improving, he called Midwest Center for Joint Replacement for help.
Norm is a long-time patient at MCJR; he has had several joint surgeries over the years, including two knee replacements with Dr. Michael Berend. He underwent a left shoulder surgery over a year ago. Most recently in December 2025, Norm underwent a reverse total shoulder replacement with Dr. Gerow in the Bloomington office and surgery center.
The recovery has been “fabulous,” in large part because of his positive attitude.
“I think the key to recovery is a couple of things,” Norm said. “Going into it with the right attitude and knowing that you yourself equate to about 75% of how you’re going to be in the future matters greatly.”
The second key to recovery is physical therapy.
“If you don’t do your physical therapy, none of that will be accomplished,” he said. “You really can control your outcome.”
Norm worked through a consistent routine of exercises at home and practiced movements like swinging his arm, lifting, and climbing his arm up a wall daily to improve his range of motion. Gradually, he regained his strength.
Norm credits Dr. Gerow for laying out the best long-term treatment plan.
“I took his recommendation and I’m glad I did,” he said.
Now, just two months post-surgery, Norm is finally back in his workshop, creating crank bait lures after many months away from it. He’s looking forward to deer hunting this fall, confident that he’ll regain full range of motion.
“By the fall, I’ll be climbing trees!” he joked.
When asked what advice he’d give to others struggling with joint pain, Norm is clear: “Don’t put it off. If you’re having pain, this is the place to go. MCJR can take care of you. They can help manage your pain and offer recommendations.”
“I made the mistake of living with a lot of pain for a lot of years, and I shouldn’t have.”
Today, with determination, the best team around him, and a strong commitment to recovery, Norm is reclaiming the active life he loves.
Dr. Gerow captured Norm’s progress at his 2-week post-op appointment:
