I just read an article about, well, a baseball player's worst nightmare: Tommy John surgery. In case you aren't familiar with this, it's an elbow surgery typically performed on pitchers, that essentially reconstructs the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). This surgery used to be very rare. It was a highlight news story every time a player had to receive the surgery. Now, it seems to be an epidemic. As quoted directly from the article, "Tommy John is all too familiar."
Dr. James Andrews, who is viewed as the "king of elbow repair" shares his view through a radio broadcast. He states that the problem is simple. Baseball players, from teenage players to professional, are playing year around. They aren't just playing from January to December, they're competing from January to December. Doc says that they have no time for recovery, which couldn't be more true. Also, he says kids are trying to take advantage of every opportunity for college exposure. They think they have to participate in every showcase, summer tournament, camp, etc. They think baseball is a sprint, when really it's a marathon. "These players need to learn how to pace themselves," Dr. Andrews says in his radio broadcast. "They need to find the proper balance of playing time and recovery time."
In a nutshell, the once rare Tommy John surgery is becoming much too widespread. The article perfectly sums it up. If you're interested, I've provided the link below.
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/matt-moore-baseball-tommy-john-surgery-historic-rate/
No comments:
Post a Comment