Expert Analysis

Baseball’s Second Chance

Tommy John – The Surgery That Has Given Baseball Players a Second Chance

Imagine hearing the news that you might not be able to ever play the game that you love again. That is the feeling that goes through every baseball player’s head that has been told they are going to need Tommy John Surgery. Every player that is told they need that surgery has to come to the realization that they might never be able to play the game of baseball like they did before.

Life as an athlete can be very fragile – one minute you’re flying high, feeling great – and then one ache or pain that doesn’t go away can turn your whole career around. Baseball players know this feeling all too well. Part of the job description as a baseball player is to throw a baseball. And when your elbow hurts, that can get a little hard to do. So when your elbow is sending shooting pains up your arm every time you let go of a ball, you know something is not right.

The Injury

Tommy John surgery is the most common surgery in the game of baseball. A player needs this surgery when they tear a very small ligament in their elbow called an, “Ulnar Collateral Ligament” – or their “UCL.” Very similar to similar to a football player or basketball player tearing the ACL in their knee, a UCL is the most important thing to a baseball player because it affects the throwing motion if it is hurt. If you try to throw a baseball with even a slight tear in your UCL, you will feel a great deal of pain in your elbow. See, throwing a baseball is not a natural motion, our arms are not meant to travel over our heads at such a high rate of speed. So when the arm travels at that high rate of speed when throwing, it puts a lot of pressure on the elbow. When that pressure is too much, the UCL can be compromised and begin to tear.   

The Surgery Itself

It is fascinating to see what the human body and technology is capable of. The actual surgery of Tommy John is quiet complex, but it is the most common injury in baseball so the surgery is very regular. In this procedure, the hurt UCL needs to be replaced by another tendon inside the body. So the injured player either gets a tendon taken from their wrist, or a tendon from their hamstring to replace to torn ligament in the elbow. “Also known as ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction, this procedure involves replacing the ligament that joins the humerus (the long bone in the upper arm) to the ulna (the heavier of the two long bones in the forearm) with a ligament or tendon taken from another location in the patient's body.” (The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine)

Post Surgery

Now this is the hardest part about the whole process of Tommy John – after the surgery. The rehab process for this surgery will take anywhere from twelve to eighteen months to fully comeback from the surgery. In saying that, a player that gets this surgery has to understand that it will be a year – at the minimum – for them to play again. After the surgery is performed, its all about getting to work with your rehab. The road back from this surgery is broken down in these ways:

• ·      Rehabilitation Process
• ·      Throwing Program
• ·      Lifestyle Changes and Training

 Rehab Process

The rehab process following the surgery is really the most important part of the whole journey. There is a saying that goes, “You get in what you put out” and nothing rings more true then the rehab of Tommy John Surgery. For the first 10 days after surgery, you are in a hard cast that stabilizes your arm. After those 10 days, the hard cast is removed and physical therapy begins. For the fist 6 weeks of rehab, all you are doing is is range of motion exercises with an elbow brace on for support.  

The Rehab process of Tommy John surgery is extremely mundane and boring. As an athlete, you are used to training at high pace and high volume, but initially coming back from surgery you are doing exercises that are extremely easy but necessary for the health of your arm. After the first 2 months of rehab, you are slowly able to do more things with your arm. You are able to start working out at a higher pace but you still have to be cautious. When you are about five months into the rehab process, you should have full range of motion back in your elbow. At that point in the rehab process you are almost working out regularly, but you are doing everything in light weights not to put any extra stress on the elbow.

Throwing Program

Once a person recovering from Tommy John is six months post surgery, and they have fully regained the range of motion in their elbow, it is time to start throwing baseballs again. Beginning to throw again is extremely critical time in the rehab process. The athlete is extremely hesitant when throwing because it will be the first time throwing a ball since the injury. It is important to take things slow, not to rush anything, but also to keep a good pace with the throwing program.

In the very early stages of the throwing program it has to be extremely light. The very first day of throwing, all you do is throw the baseball twenty times from fifty feet and then stop. From six months post surgery till a year post surgery the throwing program consistently progresses. As the program progresses, the farther you start to throw. Eventually near the eleven month range you start to throw off the pitchers mound again and get ready to start pitching in games.

Lifestyle Changes and Training

If a person is willing to go through and get this surgery, they must be willing to everything it takes to come back healthy and it great shape ready to perform. Through the entire rehab process, you must consume foods that are going to you recover. It also important to sleep as much as possible at night, because when you sleep you recover. Everything you do when you are rehabbing from Tommy John has to be, “How is this going to help me get my body better?” To truly reach the best results from getting this surgery you have to be willing to sacrifice, in these ways:

• ·      Eating Healthy
• ·      Sleeping extremely well
• ·      Training your body physically and mentally
• ·      Follow your physical therapy precisely

Misconceptions

With this surgery, there are many misconceptions out there about it. Some people think that if you get this surgery, you’re automatically going to come back from the surgery better than before. And that conversation is so wrong, because you are only going to be as good as the work you are willing to put in. “Questionnaires were completed by 189 players, 15 coaches, and 31 parents. Data were calculated and statistical analysis was performed. Thirty percent of coaches, 37% of parents, 51% of high school athletes, and 26% of collegiate athletes believed that Tommy John surgery should be performed on players without elbow injury to enhance performance.” (The Physician and sportsmedicine)

Work Cited

Ahmad, Christopher S., W. Grantham Jeffrey, and R. Greiwe Michael. "Public Perceptions of Tommy John Surgery." The Physician and Sportsmedicine 40.2 (2012): 64-72. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.

Frey, Rebecca J. "Tommy John Surgery." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. Jacqueline L. Longe. 5th ed. Vol. 8. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2015. 5037-040. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 29 Sept. 2016

"Pitch Smart." Major League Baseball. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.

Stein, Jeannine. "Players, Coaches and Parents May Be in the Dark about Tommy John Surgery." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2011. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.