Tommy John Injuries and Surgeries

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Tommy John Injuries and Surgeries

• By Ryan Tracy

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Who was Tommy John?

• A Professional Baseball Player that pitched for
  26 years in the Majors.
• The first player to successfully have surgery in
  1974.
• Make Something up.

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Who Might Need Tommy John Surgery?

• Anyone that puts Valgus force on their Elbow.
• Can be Acute or chronic.
• Mostly Baseball players, especially pitchers.
• Quarterbacks sometimes need it. (i.e. Jake
  Delhomme and Kurt Warner)

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Valgus Force
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What Gets Injured?

• Valgus force injures the Ulnar Collateral
  Ligament (UCL).
• It is the Medial ligament in the Elbow.
• Made Up of three bands.
• Can be a complete or partial tear.

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Prevention

• Strong leg and core muscles as well as good
  Cardio.
• These help prevent a pitcher from dropping his
  elbow.
• Good Mechanics, especially when throwing breaking
  balls.
• No way to prevent Acute injuries.

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Diagnosis

• It is hard to diagnose.
• Similar symptoms as tendonitis.
• Pain when rotating forearm.
• Pain when valgus force is applied.
• Pain and tenderness on the inside of the elbow.
• Best way to tell is with an MRI.

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Surgery(Statistics)

• Very common in baseball today. In 2002 and 2003,
  1 out of 9 pitchers in the majors had previously
  undergone Tommy John Surgery.
• Success rate of 85-90.

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Surgery (Procedure)

• An unused tendon from the forearm is used to
  replace the UCL.
• The torn UCL is left in the elbow and the new
  tendon is placed over it. Helps ligamatize the
  new tendon.
• Torn UCL still has proprioception.
• Holes are drilled in the Humorous and the Ulna
  bone.
• The new tendon is weaved through the holes in a
  figure 8 pattern.

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Rehabilitation

• Very important for a successful recovery.
• Athlete Should use an elbow brace to prevent
  Valgus stress.
• Valgus stress should not be introduced for at
  least 4 months after surgery. For some Athletes
  it will be 6 months.

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Rehabilitation(Cont.)

• First Month- Active range of motion
• After 4 weeks- Isometric exercises
• After 8 weeks- Plyometric exercises, shoulder
  exercises and elbow exercises. Still NO valgus
  stress!!!
• After 4-6 months, light throwing may begin and
  slowly develop as the athlete dictates.

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Return To Play

• The goal should be for the athlete to return 9-12
  months after surgery.
• It may take as long as 18 months.
• Most athletes will not be able to compete at
  pre-surgery levels for 18-24 months.