The Prevalence Of Tommy John Surgery

Snap, crackle, and pop. Those aren't the sound of rice crispies in milk; it’s the sound a pitcher hears after tearing his ulnar collateral ligament. This injury used to be career ending but is now almost standard. This has saved countless dreams for many baseball players of not just playing baseball but to have complete function of their right arm. Today, sports fans and athletes hear the term Tommy John surgery and don't flinch. There are currently 29 active ballplayers in the major leagues who have already have had Tommy John surgery. That includes the Chicago White Sox'

Ulnar collateral ligament injury is a type of elbow injury that develops from repeated overhand throwing movements (overuse). This motion places a lot of stress on the two strong bands of tissue (ligaments) that hold your elbow joint in place. The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is a main ligament located on the inside of your elbow. Over time, repetitive overhand throwing can damage the UCL.

A young, athletic talent lost a lot of his athleticism because multiple knee surgeries don't often result with the kid coming out better when the scalpel is done doing its thing.

The team doctor informed me, I would most likely have to get surgery on my UCL, more commonly known as Tommy John reconstructive surgery. The UCL is located on the inside of the elbow, below the bone. The injury happened when I was fielding a difficult ground ball up the middle, which is a very tough play to make as a second baseman. I had cleanly fielded the ground ball, and as I turned to throw in mid arm motion, I felt a pop in my right elbow. The pain in the elbow was such a sharp and stinging pain. I decided I was going to stay in the game because we were playing against the second strings at Union High School. As the game continued, another ground ball was hit in my direction and as I then proceed to throw the ball towards first base, and figured, I could not throw normal. Again just rest and rehab for 8

UCL reconstruction surgery has been around for a long time and it continues to evolve. Tommy John Surgery was once a likely career-ending injury for pitchers throughout all levels of the game, but now it has become very common and it is a minor setback in one’s baseball endeavor. Fleisig, Laughlin, Aune, and medical doctors explain how biomechanics are not affected when throwing again after surgery ( Fleisig, Laughlin, Aune, et. al., 2015), while Dodson, Thomas, Dines, and

Over the course of baseballs long existence it has been a very laid back sport with only minor injuries. But in the last decade or so the injuries have been popping up all over. Definitely the most common one being the tearing of the ucl tendon in the arm. This injury takes time to tear and it usually starts to hurt before the ligament actually snaps. “Most commonly, there is a gradual onset of elbow pain due to repetitive stresses on the ligament”(Hopkins Medicine). But there are cases where thee injury can be sudden and happen on one pitch. There have been more and more of these injuries but the biggest shock is the amount of young kids dealing with pain in their elbows. This is an effect of year round baseball, because the kids and teens are not getting their proper rest in between pitch outings. Also their coaches could be pushing them to pitch more innings and throw more pitches. But not only are young people getting these injuries older pros are also. There has been a substantial increase in

Tommy John surgery, or more well known as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgery in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a ligament from elsewhere in the body. This replacement ligament is usually taken from the forearm, hamstring, or foot of the patient. This ligament is needed for everyday things such as twisting a doorknob. This injury is usually seen in professional baseball pitchers because of the daily repetitive throwing and because of violent motions from throwing a baseball. RA Dickey was born without a UCL and pitches in the majors. Doctors still do not know how he can do this because you should not be able to do anything this way.

While common in baseball players due to its success, the Tommy John surgery is also effective for restoring torn rotator cuffs in individuals who do not play sports.

The last and also one of the most dangerous types of injuries to professional football players are ligament injuries. Though the possibility of a ligament injury is greatly risked in football due to its freewheeling motions, it is also one of the most fixable types of injuries you can sustain. Ligaments may be repaired through surgery, such as Tommy John surgery in baseball (where a strong ligament in your leg replaces the damaged ligament in the shoulder of the person), although there is still a very long recovery time involved in such procedures. These types of injuries can be both career threatening and life-altering for a professional football player and is one that many

There are a few pitchers who have to undergo Tommy John surgery. Most of the time after Tommy John surgery the pitcher is out for a year or two. “There is a growing belief, though, that recovery time isn't sufficient after many Tommy John procedures, thanks to an erroneous idea that crept into the sport in recent years that pitchers need only 10-18 months to come back from a UCL replacement, whereas accepted standard time to return from a Tommy John procedure in medical circles is 16-20 months.” Many pitchers come back before they are assigned. That is why they have so many arm injuries in the long run. "There are more guys going through this and it's better to err on the side of giving more time. Even with a first Tommy John, people expect a 100-percent success rate, and while the odds are very good, it's not 100 percent.” They come in expecting to able to be the way they were before the surgery. Pitchers need to slow down after they

Pitching overhand is a particularly stressful motion; the strain it puts on a player's joint is commonly injurious. Pitchers such as Kerry Wood, Matt Morris, John Smoltz, Mariano Rivera, Tom Gordon, and Eric Gagne all have a four inch scar on their pitching arms as evidence of this career saving surgery.

Along with the throwing arm, one of the largest areas where injuries occur happens to be one of the largest parts of the body, the trunk. Trunk injuries have one of the highest percentages of any injuries in major league baseball. With the help of measurements that can be taken between the pelvis and upper trunk, Exercise Scientists are able to calculate measurements including the maximum trunk rotation and angular acceleration of the trunk. Front foot contact for pitching, and after ball contact for batters is the most demanding instance for the trunk and spine, thus placing more stress on those areas during that time. Although it is impossible to calculate the amount of stress the abdominal muscles repetitively go through during pitching

However, many doctors including Dr. Jobee believe that any post- surgical increases in performance are mostlikely due to the increased stablity of the elbow joint and pitches’ increased attention to their fitness and condition. Doctor Jobe believed that, rather than allowing pitchers to gain velocity, the surgery and rehab protocols merely allow pitchers to return to their pre-injury levels of performance. (WebMD editors ,

There are many dilemmas that plague sports. Some of those can range from bribing, cheating, racism, and sports safety. In the past the NBA had to deal with the betting scandal involving Tim Donaghy and baseball has had to deal with the issue of performance enhancers. The sports industry generates around half a trillion dollars a year and it has to deal with multiple dilemmas at the youth, college, and professional level. A growing issue with sports has been the number of injuries that athletes have had to deal with. Typical sports injuries range from twisting ankles, blowing out knees, and dislocating shoulders. Surgery and rehabilitation have helped athletes to recover and get them back on the playing field faster

With an ever increasing number of people becoming involved with athletic activities, there is an increasing number of injuries occurring which can be devastating for the individual. Most of the injuries that affect athletes occur in one of four structures in the human body: bones, muscles, tendons, or ligaments. Because ligaments attach bone to bone and play a major part in providing stability for joints, the major stabilizing ligament in the knee, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), assists in performing everyday actions of the human body including sitting, standing, walking, running, dancing, and participating in other sports. The injury that specifically affects this ligament is very serious and always