Spike in Tommy Johns Due to “Pitch Younger, Pitch Faster, Pitch More Often” (Orthopedics This Week)
The culprit in the recent upsurge in Tommy John surgeries just may be things that happened years ago, says new research. Neal S. ElAttrache, M.D. is a sports medicine specialist with the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, California. Dr. ElAttrache, the team physician for the LA Dodgers, tells OTW, “The number of UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) injuries—and thus Tommy John surgeries—at the professional level has been alarming. We are seeing more primary UCL tears and now also seeing re-tears in players that have undergone previous Tommy John surgery. Some players are having surgery in their teens and early twenties and then experiencing a re-tear several years later, while some re-tear within 18 months of their return to play. As it stands now, just under 1 in 3 pitchers in the professional leagues will have had a Tommy John operation, BUT almost 25% of those who have a Tommy John will not make it all the way back to their previous level of performance.”
“From the data trends we are seeing, it appears that this increase is linked to several things, including the number of...
