The Tommy John Crutch

Force of habit, by Lindsay Berra: Science, not the scalpel, is the real solution for Tommy John injuries. Too bad few MLB teams are paying attention.

Take a few minutes out of your day and read the above article. Below is my take, simplified.

Tommy John surgery is all the rage these days. Zane Kelly and I were talking about it today and how many people think it's a "miracle" procedure, allowing pitchers to come back stronger and better than before. It doesn't always work like that. There are many misconceptions about the procedure that must be addressed.

It's true, many pitchers come back and perform equal to or better than they were prior to the procedure, but why is that? It's not because of the repaired UCL in their elbow, it's because of the work they put into their strength and conditioning to ensure their body is able to withstand the pressures of throwing a baseball. The rehabilitation process that focuses on all the little supporting muscles was, prior to arm problems, an afterthought.

So, what are the underlying issues that ultimately cause tears of the UCL? They are poor mechanics that result in the arm dragging behind the body putting unnecessary stress on the elbow, as well as overuse. When you are throwing thousands of pitches over the course of time using poor mechanics, it's only a matter of time before the elbow ligaments can no longer support what you are doing. As pitchers, it's imperative you develop proper mechanics, taking advantage of your larger muscles (legs, core, etc.) when you throw a baseball instead of relying on the little, weaker muscles in your arm. Instead of missing a season, how about pitchers begin to take precautionary measures to be sure injuries don't become a problem!

"The No. 1 risk factor for UCL injuries is poor mechanics, the No. 2 factor is overuse. And if you overuse with poor mechanics, you're doomed." - Dr. James Andrews

Let's take a look at what we can do to not only prevent arm injuries, but to elevate our overall pitching performance:

#1 Fix your mechanics

If you can't take video yourself and properly analyze your own mechanics for flaws and red flags, I suggest you find someone who can. Video analysis allows you to view yourself throwing frame by frame, catching flaws that the naked eye cannot. Even better if you can get high-speed video. Your flaws (hopefully there are few to none) need to be recognized and addressed before it's too late! It's not only important to be mechanically sound for injury prevention, but because it will make you more consistent. Work hard on perfecting your mechanics. Find a coach you can trust, take video, review the video, then work to fix the problems you have in your delivery. That's step one.

#2 Strengthen your pitching muscles

Some pitchers come back from Tommy John throwing harder because they took a year to a year and a half devoted to preparing their body to come back from the surgery. Why not devote time before the injury to prepare your body to withstand the stress of throwing a baseball? Athletes In Motion is a facility that focuses on just that. We stress the importance of doing the right things for your body so you don't face injury issues that keep you off the field. Core strength, scapular strength and stability, and functional strength in general will not only help you stay healthy, but take your game to the next level. Prehab is a lot easier than rehab.

Note: all the training in the world cannot replace developing sound mechanics. Some pitchers end up getting more than one Tommy John surgery because they never fixed the underlying issue, which was their flawed pitching delivery.