Tommy John surgery is occurring in the Major Leagues and in all baseball levels everywhere. This has become such a widespread problem many leading sports doctors and physicians are calling elbow injuries a widespread epidemic. Is this surgery helping the players or harming them?
What is it:
Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction is the reconstruction of the ligament in your elbow. This process is performed on the medial elbow, or in other terms the inside part of your elbow. To perform this surgery, you take another ligament from your body or from a cadaver, and add on the new ligament to your torn one. Over time this ligament will grow onto the preexisting broken one and you will have a healthy UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament). Many professional throwing athletes undergo this surgery and are usually put on a 16-week recovery plan, during these 16 weeks the athlete must regain flexibility strength and endurance in there throwing arms to try to achieve the same level of play there were at before. Most athletes would miss the entire next season if they have this surgery performed on them. After an athlete undergoes this procedure they have a 20% chance never to get back to the level of play they were at before. This surgery is having a very detrimental effect on major leaguers and little leaguer’s success.
Who’s it happening to and why:
This widespread epidemic is affecting little leaguers all the way to Major League baseball players. I know it may seem improbable but 10 year old children are having this surgery done on them. Many children are experiencing arm pain earlier and more frequently at younger ages. Many factors play a part into why this is happening to kids. Children in the warmer climate areas are playing all year round in tournaments and multiple showcases a season. Kids are throwing with incorrect mechanics and are playing on too many in the same season. ASMI (American Sports Medical Institute) states that the three things that cause of the tear of the UCL is poor mechanics, overuse, and poor physical fitness. All these factors result in the tear of the Ulnar collateral ligament and the end of most player’s career.
What are the facts:
More and more baseball players have to have this surgery performed on them every single year. From the year 2012 to 2016 there was 151 surgeries performed on professional baseball players alone. This is almost two times the amount of surgeries that professional baseball players underwent in the entire 1990’s (88). The astounding numbers of 25% of Major League Baseball players have the Ulnar Collateral ligament reconstruction. In theory that 1 out of every 4 baseball players. Also 15% of Minor League Baseball players have the surgery. In conclusion many professional athletes are having this surgery and has become a very dangerous problem.
How we can fix this:
We can fix this problem by teaching the correct throwing mechanics and taking at least two months out of the year not throwing. Also reducing pitch counts per game and not going over 75 pitches per game reduce elbow injuries by 50% stated by Top Velocity. Taking two months out of the year are shown to dramatically reduce injury to the elbow. Many precautions can be learned and used to prevent the UCL from tearing.
Many players in all levels of baseball are having this surgery and many lose their careers from it. We need to educate the upcoming youths of baseball to rest, throw properly, and to keep their pitch counts low. If we do not teach the upcoming generation baseball will be lost forever.
What is it:
Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction is the reconstruction of the ligament in your elbow. This process is performed on the medial elbow, or in other terms the inside part of your elbow. To perform this surgery, you take another ligament from your body or from a cadaver, and add on the new ligament to your torn one. Over time this ligament will grow onto the preexisting broken one and you will have a healthy UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament). Many professional throwing athletes undergo this surgery and are usually put on a 16-week recovery plan, during these 16 weeks the athlete must regain flexibility strength and endurance in there throwing arms to try to achieve the same level of play there were at before. Most athletes would miss the entire next season if they have this surgery performed on them. After an athlete undergoes this procedure they have a 20% chance never to get back to the level of play they were at before. This surgery is having a very detrimental effect on major leaguers and little leaguer’s success.
Who’s it happening to and why:
This widespread epidemic is affecting little leaguers all the way to Major League baseball players. I know it may seem improbable but 10 year old children are having this surgery done on them. Many children are experiencing arm pain earlier and more frequently at younger ages. Many factors play a part into why this is happening to kids. Children in the warmer climate areas are playing all year round in tournaments and multiple showcases a season. Kids are throwing with incorrect mechanics and are playing on too many in the same season. ASMI (American Sports Medical Institute) states that the three things that cause of the tear of the UCL is poor mechanics, overuse, and poor physical fitness. All these factors result in the tear of the Ulnar collateral ligament and the end of most player’s career.
What are the facts:
More and more baseball players have to have this surgery performed on them every single year. From the year 2012 to 2016 there was 151 surgeries performed on professional baseball players alone. This is almost two times the amount of surgeries that professional baseball players underwent in the entire 1990’s (88). The astounding numbers of 25% of Major League Baseball players have the Ulnar Collateral ligament reconstruction. In theory that 1 out of every 4 baseball players. Also 15% of Minor League Baseball players have the surgery. In conclusion many professional athletes are having this surgery and has become a very dangerous problem.
How we can fix this:
We can fix this problem by teaching the correct throwing mechanics and taking at least two months out of the year not throwing. Also reducing pitch counts per game and not going over 75 pitches per game reduce elbow injuries by 50% stated by Top Velocity. Taking two months out of the year are shown to dramatically reduce injury to the elbow. Many precautions can be learned and used to prevent the UCL from tearing.
Many players in all levels of baseball are having this surgery and many lose their careers from it. We need to educate the upcoming youths of baseball to rest, throw properly, and to keep their pitch counts low. If we do not teach the upcoming generation baseball will be lost forever.