Teenage baseball players needing Tommy John surgery more and more — 5 things to know

Orthopedic Sports Medicine

A study recently published by the American Journal of Sports Medicine shows that Tommy John surgery has come a long way, reports SFgate.com. However, the medical community is saying that UCL injury prevention is becoming more important than ever, especially for young athletes.


Five key things to know about the report, and physicians' reactions to it:

 

1) The study looked at the careers of 216 MLB pitchers who had the surgery performed and saw that 97 percent were able to return to the mound in some capacity.

 

2) Only 83 percent, however, were able to return to the majors.

 

3) In turn, an investigation by Sports Illustrated shows a dramatic and concerning leap in recent years of high school draft picks needing Tommy John surgery before they even suit up: 12.8 percent of top 30 high school draft picks in 2002 to 31.3 percent in 2010, needed the reconstructive surgery.

 

4) Many sports medicine physicians are attributing the problem to yearlong practicing and overuse during the season, as well as the ever-popular growth of young baseball players specializing in pitching at earlier ages.

 

5) Physicians also say that pitch count limits can only do so much; that the most successful way to prevent UCL damage is to instruct proper pitching technique as well as to warn young pitchers that they may need to dial back the intensity of their pitches.


For more sports medicine news:

Dr. Walter Lowe looking after an ailing Dwight Howard
Neurosurgeons practicing defensive medicine: 7 new survey findings
With two big injuries, Dr. Jonathan Drezner has a busy Super Bowl

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