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Minimally Invasive Orthopedic Surgery in Claiborne County

  • 4 minute read.
  • Last Updated: 2/27/2026
A group of eight people, including medical staff in blue scrubs and two people in casual clothing, stand together and smile in a hospital hallway. A clock and medical equipment are visible in the background.

Claiborne Medical Center offers orthopedic procedures for families around Tazewell that were once only available in larger cities. The road to relief from piercing joint pain no longer has to cross the Claiborne County line. For Brent Myers, this made a huge impact when a severe rotator cuff tear threatened to change his life.

Shoulder Pain Affecting Sleep and Work

Always active and energetic, Brent has had his share of wear, tear and repair on his body. But when shoulder pain and limited mobility began to impact his everyday life, work and sleep, he knew it was time to see a specialist.

Brent is a certified registered nurse anesthetist, a job that requires strength, precision and steady hands.

“I remember thinking, for the first time in my life, ‘Man, it might be over,’” Brent says. “What does a one-arm anesthetist do?”

Rotator Cuff Tear Diagnosis

The reason for Brent’s pain was obvious in the results of an MRI.

“He had a large, full-thickness rotator cuff tear with retraction,” Angelo Sorce, MD, explains. “It was a very bad tear.” Dr. Sorce is an orthopedic surgeon and part of the surgery team at Claiborne Medical Center.

Years ago, a patient in Brent’s condition would have been sent to Knoxville, but that’s no longer the case. Dr. Sorce was the first orthopedic surgeon to bring arthroscopy to Claiborne Medical Center and regularly performs procedures for patients in and around Tazewell.

“We now do it routinely.” Dr. Sorce says. “People in this area don’t realize what they have in their own community.”

Two men standing and smiling in a hallway. One wears blue medical scrubs and a surgical cap; the other wears glasses, a plaid shirt, and a brown quilted vest. The setting appears to be a hospital or clinic.
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Angelo Sorce and patient Brent Myers

Choosing Care Close to Home

Brent has worked right alongside surgeons for decades inside the operating room. When the time came to consider surgery for himself, he chose Dr. Sorce and the surgery team at Claiborne Medical Center, just a short drive from where he lives.

“I could have gone anywhere,” Brent says. “But when it came time for my own shoulder surgery, I wanted someone I trusted in my community.”

Using minimally invasive arthroscopic technology, Dr. Sorce performed the complex shoulder repair. The surgery was followed by physical therapy at the Covenant Health Therapy Center in Tazewell, and Brent was back at work after three months of recovery.

Brent’s Recovery

A man with gray hair and glasses stands in a bright hallway, smiling. He is wearing a brown quilted vest over a blue plaid shirt, blue jeans, and has one hand in his pocket. Sunlight streams in through large windows.

Without the pain that once held him back during the day and kept him awake at night, now Brent is able to put in a good day’s work, get a good night’s rest and embrace life’s priceless moments.

Among those moments was the day Brent held his grandson for the first time. Brent shares, “Having surgery made all the difference not just for me, but for my family.”

Brent will count on the Claiborne Medical Center team again whenever he needs orthopedic care. In fact, he already has. Since his shoulder surgery, Brent had an accident that resulted in a broken wrist. When the doctors said he needed another orthopedic surgery, he again went to Dr. Sorce.

“You can get excellent surgery, physical therapy and follow-up care right here in Tazewell,” Brent says. “If I have to have surgery, I want it done here.”

Finding Orthopedic Care in Our Community

Claiborne Medical Center provides advanced orthopedic care in Tazewell through experienced specialists who serve patients across the Covenant Health network.

“It’s not the place; it’s the people in the place,” Dr. Sorce says. “We travel so patients don’t have to.”

For families in the Claiborne County community, expert care isn’t miles away. In Brent’s case, it was 15 minutes away from his front door.

If shoulder pain affects your sleep, your work or the activities you enjoy, ask your doctor about a referral to Claiborne Medical Center. In Claiborne County, patients don’t have to go searching for orthopedic care. It’s already here.

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