Torn elbow ligament for baseball pitcher may mean Tommy John surgery

Q. I am an 18-year-old collegiate baseball pitcher who has had right elbow pain for the last two months. The pain is on the inside of the elbow and my pitch speed has decreased from 88 miles per hour to 76 miles per hour.

The team doctor did an MRI a scan and I was told I have a torn ligament and need Tommy John surgery if I want to return as a competitive pitcher. What exactly is Tommy John surgery, how long would I need to recover, and what is the likelihood of successful surgery? A. There is an important elbow stabilizing ligament known as the UCL that is crucial to the throwing motion.

The UCL is commonly known as the Tommy John ligament. It is named after Tommy John who was the Major League Baseball pitcher who had the first reported successful surgical outcome for a torn UCL.

It is estimated that 1 in 4 Major League pitchers pitching today have had successful UCL surgery on their elbows. The surgical procedure usually takes about two hours to perform. However, post-op recovery to return to play takes about a year.

Dr. Harlan Selesnick is team physician of the Miami Heat and Inter Miami. Send your questions to HarlanS@baptisthealth.net