What Is Your “Tommy John” Ligament?
You’ve probably heard of a few odd or unusual terms that refer to various medical conditions, body parts, or specific injuries. One of the most common of these terms, particularly heard in sports circles, is used to describe the Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) of the elbow, also known as the “Tommy John Ligament.”
The UCL, or Tommy John ligament, is the main ligament stabilizing the inner part of the elbow. It attaches the end of the arm bone to one of the forearm bones. The UCL is often torn or stretched by activities causing repetitive strain on the ligament – particularly throwing or tennis. Stretching of the ligament can cause subtle instability in the elbow leading to pain with repetitive throwing. Often the ligament needs to be reconstructed with a tendon graft to restore its strength and allow return to pain-free throwing or overhead sports, a procedure that has become common in baseball pitchers.
Where Did The Name Tommy John Come From?
Tommy John was major league baseball pitcher for the L.A. Dodgers and New York Yankees over a twenty-year career and was the first person to undergo the procedure that now carries his name. John began to experience some serious ligament discomfort and pitching problems around 1974. Dr. Frank Jobe, a noted orthopaedic surgeon who was team physician for the L.A. Dodgers at that time diagnosed John with tearing of the UCL as the cause of his pitching problems and devised a new surgical procedure to reconstruct the ligament – a radical and controversial treatment at the time. Back then, it was believed that a major league pitcher could never return to pitching in the big leagues after having surgery. Faced with few options and the prospect of having to retire from baseball, John placed his trust in Dr. Jobe and underwent the procedure. He then went on to return to the major leagues and had a successful Hall of Fame carreer. Based on his success, the procedure became known as the “Tommy John” procedure and is now commonly performed on baseball pitchers with painful elbows.
Misconceptions About the “Tommy John” Procedure
Based on John’s experience and the success of others who have had the procedure over the years there has become a misconception that undergoing the procedure can actually improve pitching performance over that of having a normal elbow. Many players and coaches came to believe that the procedure increased pitching velocity and accuracy and that players were actually “better” after undergoing the procedure. There is no medical or biomechanical evidence to support this. However, most sports medicine and athletic trainers believe that the post-operative rehab and strengthening that players undergo after the surgery is what often times can lead to their improved performance. This has lead to more research and focus on prevent exercises and training regimens to improve performance in throwing and to help prevent the need for a thrower to undergo a “Tommy John” procedure.
Read this: Advair Diskus
Awesome write-up. I’m a normal visitor of your site and appreciate you taking the time to maintain the excellent site. I’ll be a regular visitor for a really long time.
Hello there. I found your blog by the use of Google even as looking for a comparable topic, your website got here up. It appears to be good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to come back then.
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It will always be useful to read through content from other writers and use a little something from other websites.
Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your article seem to be running off the screen in Safari. I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you know. The style and design look great though! Hope you get the issue fixed soon. Many thanks|
Hiya, I’m really glad I’ve found this information. Today bloggers publish only about gossip and web stuff and this is actually annoying. A good site with exciting content, this is what I need. Thanks for making this web-site, and I’ll be visiting again. Do you do newsletters by email?
Awesome write-up. I am a normal visitor of your site and appreciate you taking the time to maintain the excellent site. I’ll be a regular visitor for a really long time.
Hello there. I discovered your web site by the use of Google at the same time as searching for a similar matter, your web site came up. It seems great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to visit then.
A person essentially lend a hand to make severely posts I might state. This is the first time I frequented your web page and to this point? I amazed with the analysis you made to create this particular submit amazing. Great activity!|
Hi there would you mind letting me know which web host you’re utilizing? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different web browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot faster then most. Can you suggest a good internet hosting provider at a fair price? Cheers, I appreciate it!|
Awesome post. I’m a regular visitor of your web site and appreciate you taking the time to maintain the nice site. I’ll be a regular visitor for a long time.
Hiya, I’m really glad I have found this info. Today bloggers publish just about gossip and internet stuff and this is actually frustrating. A good site with exciting content, that is what I need. Thank you for making this web-site, and I will be visiting again. Do you do newsletters by email?
Simply wish to say your article is as amazing. The clearness in your post is simply excellent and i can assume you are an expert on this subject. Well with your permission let me to grab your feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please continue the enjoyable work.|
Awesome post. I am a regular visitor of your blog and appreciate you taking the time to maintain the nice site. I’ll be a regular visitor for a long time.
Awesome post. I am a normal visitor of your blog and appreciate you taking the time to maintain the nice site. I’ll be a frequent visitor for a long time.
This blog was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something which helped me. Thanks a lot!
Awesome write-up. I am a normal visitor of your web site and appreciate you taking the time to maintain the nice site. I’ll be a regular visitor for a long time.
Hiya, I am really glad I’ve found this info. Today bloggers publish only about gossip and web stuff and this is really frustrating. A good web site with exciting content, this is what I need. Thanks for making this website, and I’ll be visiting again. Do you do newsletters by email?
Hello there. I discovered your site via Google even as searching for a similar topic, your website got here up. It appears to be great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to visit then.
While this issue can vexed most people, my thought is that there has to be a middle or common ground that we all can find. I do value that you’ve added pertinent and sound commentary here though. Thank you!
I want to show my appreciation for your kindness giving support to men and women that should have guidance on this particular area. Your personal commitment to passing the solution around has been astonishingly useful and has specifically helped many people much like me to get to their pursuits. The valuable help can mean a great deal to me and somewhat more to my office colleagues. Warm regards; from each one of us.