Tommy John surgery

Tommy John surgery is a procedure used to repair the ulnar collateral ligament located on the inside or medial side of the elbow. This procedure involves making multiple incisions, harvesting a tendon graft, and drilling holes for a place this tendon graft will fit into. Although many people have heard about Tommy John surgery because of the MLB, ordinary stress on the elbow can cause a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament to everyday people as well. The main points discuss include the procedure, rehab and symptoms, injury development, and just what Tommy John surgery actually is.

Procedure

The procedure most often begins with an incision on the inside of the elbow. Before this is done though, a tendon graft must be taken from some other place in the body to act as the original ulnar collateral ligament. The most common place to get this graft from during a ulnar collateral reconstruction surgery is in the inner thigh. After this tendon graft is complete, surgeons most commonly use a docking technique for performing a UCL reconstruction. This involves the doctor drilling two holes in the ulna and three other holes in the medial epicondyle. Once the two holes drilled into the ulna are complete, the surgeon is now able to loop the tendon graft through these holes.

What is Tommy John Surgery?

Tommy John surgery, also known as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCL reconstruction), is a type of surgery most commonly associated with the sport of baseball. Surprisingly, Tommy John surgery was named after a pitcher from the Los Angeles Dodger's named Tommy John. He was the first to receive such surgery in 1974. One interesting fact about UCL reconstruction surgery is that there have been around 215 UCL reconstruction surgeries performed on Major League Baseball pitchers.

Injury Development

Injury to the ulnar collateral ligament occurs primarily when a large amount of stress is applied to this ligament which causes it to become detached from the humerus and ulna. Although a large amount of stress can increase the chances of tearing the UCL ligament, small stresses may also lead to this tearing. Most of the time the ulnar collateral ligament is torn slightly over a long period of time rather than tear at one time.

Symptoms and Rehab

Most of the time, a sharp pain or pop in the elbow is felt when the ulnar collateral ligament is damaged. The ulnar nerve located in the elbow sometimes may become pinched and cause the person to have numbness occur in the fingers. Other symptoms include the inability to throw objects, pain on the inside of the elbow near the joint, pain while throwing overhead, and pain in the forearm, hand, or wrist. In terms of rehab for a pitcher in the MLB, rehab takes around nine months to complete. Most physicians take a three phase approach to the rehab of a UCL reconstruction surgery. Phase one consists of wearing a splint for about a week, range of motion exercises for the hand, shoulder, and wrist, wear a brace for range of motion, exercise the arms and shoulders. Phase two takes place about six weeks after surgery and allows the patient to perform elbow-strengthening tasks. Phase three involves the athlete slowly being able to return to the sport he or she was playing.