Tommy John Surgery Research Papers

Pitchers at all levels – high school, college, and professionals – are running into the same problem: their elbows are giving out and they’re requiring Tommy John surgery. This is a result of years of strain on the ligament. I believe these players are victims of coaches who pushed them too far. Coaches at a little league or high school level should be focused upon teaching their players the fundamentals of the game. The best youth baseball teams are not the ones that hit the most home runs or record the most strikeouts. The best teams are the ones that can play defense, make consistent, solid contact at bat, and learn to hit the strike zone from the mound. However with the nationalization of the Little League World Series, teams have …show more content…
Athletes, parents, and even coaches are not aware of the risk and consequences of the procedure. Many young pitchers and their parents believe that after the procedure their performance will actually improve. According to Pitch Smart, “35% of parents incorrectly believe that overall pitching performance would be enhanced following surgery. While there are notable instances of players improving following surgery, the most optimistic expectation for a pitcher undergoing Tommy John surgery is that the procedure allows the player to return to his previous level of performance. In fact, two recent studies have shown that players returning from Tommy John surgery tend to follow the typical aging pattern for players without surgery.” (Pitch Smart, 2014) Gluing a broken mug back together does not mean it will not leak. Having your elbow reconstructed will not make you throw faster or harder. Once it is broken, there is a chance that you may never return to the level of performance you were at before the surgery. Many pitchers are not rehabbing their injuries when they should. Some young pitchers will elect to have the procedure after a UCL sprain when it is only medically approved when the ulnar collateral ligament is torn or