Limiting Innings Pitched after Tommy John Surgery for MLB Players
With the stakes so high for pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), it is critical to get answers regarding one of the most rapidly growing procedures in orthopedics – ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR), a.k.a., Tommy John Surgery. To reduce the chances of pitchers having to undergo a revision UCLR, it has been suggested that the number of innings pitched post-operatively in the MLB pitcher’s first season back should be limited. Researchers from Rush University Medical Center have just reported results indicating that this is likely unnecessary.
The physician-scientists, who included Anthony Romeo, M.D., Nikhil Verma, M.D., Charles Bush-Joseph, M.D., Bernard Bach, Jr., M.D., Gregory Cvetanovich, and Brandon Erickson, M.D., found that the number of innings pitched and number of pitches thrown in the first full season as well as over a player’s career after UCLR are not associated with an increased risk having to undergo a revision UCLR.
Full Article: Limiting Innings Pitched after Tommy John Surgery for MLB Players