Oz Wert

Play ball! He does, thanks to his orthopedic surgeon

Oz Wert loves playing ball. The 58-year-old Port Royal man plays shortstop on three teams in central Pennsylvania, traveling the country with one. During the warm weather months, if you’re looking for Oz, you likely will find him on a softball field about 10 days of the month.

But more than 40 years of throwing a ball has done a number on Oz’s right shoulder. Torn labrum, torn tendons, torn rotator cuff – he’s suffered it all.

So, Oz is super grateful that he has had Dr. John Furia on his orthopedics team for more than a decade.
“He’s a great guy,” Oz says of Dr. Furia. “He will tell you what’s going on, what you have to do and he’s straight up with you. He’s put me back on the field three times. I definitely trust him.”

Dr. Furia, of WellSpan Orthopedics in Lewisburg, believes that his patients do not need to be limited by their joint pain. He wants his patients to both feel better and live better. This means being on a ball field for Oz, who has played since high school, where he was nicknamed after Ozzie Smith, the St. Louis Cardinals shortstop, Golden Glover and Baseball Hall of Famer (Oz’s first name is actually Dan).

Furia has performed several surgeries on Oz’s right shoulder at WellSpan Evangelical Community Hospital. The most recent one was in 2022. In March of that year, as Oz was lifting weights to get ready for the upcoming ball season, he started experiencing pain in his right shoulder – again – but continued to play out the season.

When the season ended, he made an appointment to see Dr. Furia. After reviewing his history and looking at the shoulder more closely, Dr. Furia identified a torn rotator cuff as the culprit of the discomfort.

While doing the rotator cuff surgery, Dr. Furia also addressed bone spurs, some arthritis issues and tendon care. Oz still deals with arthritis, for which he sees Dr. Furia, taking anti-inflammatory medication.
Dr. Furia says he is committed to helping reduce pain and limitations for his patient.

“My goal is to help him do what he enjoys and live his life to the fullest,” Dr. Furia says. “As an orthopedic surgeon, that’s my goal for all of my patients. We want people to be as active as they can so they can do the things they love.”

People can play league softball into their 90s. Oz is not sure he will last that long but is glad he’s still out on the field as he edges toward his 60s.

“I just enjoy it,” he says. “I love all of it, the competition, the teammates, just hanging out and having fun. If I hadn’t had those surgeries by Dr. Furia, I would be done. He’s kept me going!”