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
Thank you for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do a little research on this. We got a grab a book from our local library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I am very glad to see such magnificent info being shared freely out there.
I really appreciate this post. I¡¦ve been looking all over for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thanks again
Hi there, You have done an excellent job. I’ll certainly digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I am sure they’ll be benefited from this website.
Hey there are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you require any html coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!|
Just want to say your article is as astounding. The clarity for your put up is just excellent and that i can assume you’re an expert on this subject. Well together with your permission allow me to grab your RSS feed to keep updated with coming near near post. Thank you 1,000,000 and please keep up the rewarding work.|
What’s up everyone, it’s my first pay a visit at this site, and post is in fact fruitful for me, keep up posting these articles.|
Good day! I could have sworn I’ve visited this site before but after going through a few of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m certainly delighted I stumbled upon it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back regularly!
Hello, Neat post. There’s an issue with your web site in internet explorer, would check this¡K IE still is the marketplace leader and a big portion of people will omit your great writing because of this problem.
whoah this blog is excellent i like reading your articles. Keep up the good work! You realize, lots of persons are looking around for this info, you can aid them greatly.
Hiya, I’m really glad I’ve found this information. Nowadays bloggers publish only about gossips and web and this is actually irritating. A good website with exciting content, this is what I need. Thanks for keeping this web-site, I’ll be visiting it. Do you do newsletters? Can not find it.
Excellent website you have here but I was curious if you knew of any community forums that cover the same topics discussed in this article? I’d really like to be a part of group where I can get feedback from other experienced individuals that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Cheers!|
We’re a gaggle of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your web site provided us with useful information to work on. You’ve done a formidable job and our entire neighborhood will likely be grateful to you.|
I’ve recently started a site nimrnsjd, the information you offer on this web site has helped me greatly. Thank you for all of your time & work.
I am not sure where you are getting your info, but great topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for excellent info I was looking for this info for my mission.
This design is wicked! You certainly know how to keep a reader entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Great job. I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!|
Your style is very unique compared to other folks I have read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this page.|
I do consider all of the concepts you have presented for your post. They’re very convincing and will certainly work. Nonetheless, the posts are very short for newbies. May just you please prolong them a little from next time? Thanks for the post.|
As a Newbie, I am continuously searching online for articles that can help me. Thank you
Great information. Lucky me I came across your site by accident (stumbleupon). I’ve saved it for later!|
You can definitely see your expertise in the work you write. The arena hopes for more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. Always go after your heart.