I saw a Division I pitcher this morning who had Tommy John Surgery one year ago. He is from Kansas. (Long story how he got to me here in NC.)
He is trying to get back to pitching again. Unfortunately, he is still experiencing elbow pain when he attempts to throw 100%.
If I mentioned the surgeon’s name here, EVERYONE would know who did the surgery. So I am pretty confident that the surgery was done WELL - VERY WELL.
What does that tell us? It tells me that the stresses at his pitching elbow that were present before surgery are still there! In other words, the doctor fixed the thing that broke (Tommy John ligament) but no one has fixed the things that caused the injury in the first place.
Often times medical professionals (I can say this because I am a medical professional) treat the site of pain. But to quote Carel Lewit, MD, “He who treats the site of pain is often lost.”
Therefore, this Division I pitcher was assessed from the ground up looking at how other body parts were contributing to his elbow stress. His pitching side hip was extremely tight into extension, not allowing him to use his back side to drive towards home plate. His glove side hip was tight into internal rotation, not allowing him use his trunk/core to pull his arm through the acceleration phase. His glove side lower extremity was weak (from an old knee surgery), causing him to have an imbalance between the stability and mobility needed to effectively and efficiently use his kinetic energy. His spine and posterior shoulder were very rigid as well.
As more of an appreciation of how the whole body can contribute to more optimal mechanics is gained, one can understand how this Division I pitcher became injured in the first place.
Athletic Training and Conditioning, Inc. is all about identifying these predisposing factors and correcting them before an injury occurs. In the spirit of healthy baseball, I am offering a bundled discount on my video analysis and injury prevention/performance enhancement evaluation services. Visit my website here for details.
