If you are involved with baseball in any way, there is a good chance that you have heard the term “Tommy John.” This plain sounding surgery is anything but. It occurs almost exclusively in baseball players, primarily pitchers, and involves removing muscle from elsewhere in the body to repair a tear in the UCL tendon in the elbow. The injury has been around in the MLB for several decades, but it has been expanding to younger and younger players as the years go on. Our youth players are seeing their careers halted at extremely young ages from an injury that destroys hopes and dreams.
An article by Elizabeth Bloom for the Pittsburgh Gazette goes deeper on the exposure of our youth to Tommy John surgery. A highly touted prospect and the Twins first round draft pick in 2016, Alex Kirilloff found himself out with Tommy John. Kirilloff is no ordinary case for the injury however. He was coming off of an incredible season in which he batted .306 and hit 7 home runs. The star plays center field, which is why his case of Tommy John is especially surprising. Players that play positions other than pitcher have also begun to experience an increase in Tommy John surgery. Bloom goes deeper on how the injury has swept across the nation and taken kids from the sport they love.
Tommy John surgeries usually take a player out of action for about a year. And 15-19 year olds made up 57% of the Tommy John surgeries in the United States from 2007-2011. Youth players nationwide are finding themselves trapped in a sling for months with a searing pain in their elbows. But in order to avoid this, we must know what creates it. Bloom lists several known causes such as: “fastball usage, number of pitches, number of pitch types, rest between outings, release points, weight, height, age, peak velocity, average velocity, and even mound height.” The fact that scientists and doctors have pinpointed so many causes of the injury allows for it to be treated much more efficiently and effectively. Some say this increase in awareness is the main cause for the rising prevalence of the surgery in today’s youth.
After Bloom explained the severity, cause, and dangers of Tommy John surgery, she went on to provide a solution. One that I think may be the key to solving this horrible injury. Pitch Smart. An organization that sets regulations on certain aspects of pitching at the high school and youth levels. They recommend that 17 and 18 year olds don’t throw more than 105 pitches per outing. 44 states have already implemented caps on high school pitch count at around 105 pitches. Limitations can only help during the high school season however, but there are alternative options to care for your arm. Bryson Lesniak, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, says that the key to keeping a pitcher’s arm healthy is to slowly increase pitch count as the athlete gets older. Countless knowledgeable people recommend limiting pitch count in youth players, and for now, it seems to be the best option.
The article does a great job of explaining how Tommy John surgery ruins opportunities for young players;it also provided ways to bypass the injury. Being a pitcher myself, I know the reality of this terrible injury. Last year, I was sidelined from pitching for several months as I struggled to keep my elbow healthy. My doctor told me that if I continued to push myself, Tommy John may be necessary. Immediately, I shut myself down and began physical therapy. This injury affects thousands and I was fortunate enough to avoid it, but pitchers across the country may not be so lucky. Everyone who steps on mound must take care of their arm, above anything else.
MVP Insight 