Tommy John Research Paper

Throwing a baseball is one of the most unnatural motions in all of sports. Strain is placed on players arms, especially pitchers, from a very young age. This leads to wear and tear that causes many young players irritation and severe pain. Tommy John is known as Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction. The amount of players getting the injury are rapidly growing forcing people to call it an epidemic.
Tommy John has a possibility to end players careers but with the modern surgery there is a 90 percent recovery rate. The injury results from repetitive use of the elbow like throwing a baseball. The procedure was developed by Frank Jobe in 1974 for pitcher Tommy John. It is a surgical graft procedure in which the Ulnar collateral ligament …show more content…
A grade 2 sprain is a partial tear of the ligament and there are varying degrees of grade 2 sprains. In general, grade 1 and 2 sprains are treated with a period of no throwing followed by a rehabilitation program. Grade 3 sprains are complete or full thickness tears. These are best treated with reconstruction in baseball players and javelin throwers. There may be a role for repair of the ligament in some younger pitchers or female athletes if the ligament tears off the bone. UCL Reconstruction or Tommy John Surgery is performed by using a tendon graft to replace the UCL The graft is placed through tunnels drilled the Ulna and in the Humerus of the elbow. A graft is a tendon used to replace the torn ligament. The most common graft is the Palmaris tendon, which is obtained from the forearm through a small incision in the wrist. The use of this tendon does not lead to any problems with the arm. Not everyone has a Palmaris tendon. Other graft options include use of a hamstring, toe extensor, or donor tendon. After the graft is passed into the tunnels and fixed, it is repaired directly to the old UCL to strengthen it. The surgery is done through a 3-4 inch incision on the inner part of the elbow. Patients can go home after the surgery but have to wear a brace for 7 …show more content…
Your therapist may ask you the following questions: When and how did this injury occur? How long have you had pain? Have you had any numbness and tingling in your arm? Did you feel a "pop" when throwing or performing an overhead activity? Have you experienced any instability, feeling or giving out, with throwing? What other sports or activities do you participate in? Have you had to stop playing your sport because of the injury to your elbow? Your physical therapist may gently poke around your elbow joint to locate the specific area of pain. The therapist may slightly bend your arm while applying pressure along the outside of your elbow joint, or ask you to mimic a throwing motion as he or she resists against it. To provide a definitive diagnosis, your therapist may collaborate with an orthopedic surgeon. The surgeon may order further tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or magnetic resonance arthrogram (MRA), to confirm the diagnosis and to rule out other possible

Show More