The Greek Life of Sports Medicine

The first Tommy John surgery, for those who don't know, was performed by Dr. Frank Jobe in Los Angeles in 1974. In a kinesiological context, Tommy John surgery is very much similar to the arthroscopic reconstruction of the medial collateral ligament, or MCL, which is a common injury in athletes that occurs in the knee. However, the MCL of the elbow is known as the UCL (ulnar collateral ligament), and Tommy John surgery is the resulting operation.

Since Tommy John received the initial operation that prolonged his career by 14 years, the area of sports medicine has absolutely exploded. In today's day and age, it is not uncommon to see many pitchers undergoing TJ, and the recovery from the procedure is nearly at a 100% success rate.

The surgery has become so common that Dr. Andrews alone has performed more than 2,500 of them in his medical career. It's quite intriguing to know that the actual time spent in the operating room is generally no more than one hour, and that the physical therapy has been specified down to a tee...detailing everything from the amount of throws you make to the amount of sleep you get. And it is quite comforting to know that the success rate is so high, assuming that you (the athlete) follow that ever so categorical plan.

However, the theoretical simplicity of the operation and ensuing procedure is no less inconsequential to the athlete in question. The routine of TJ is a grueling, frustrating and often painful routine that can break many tough-minded individuals to the point where the desire they once possessed is no longer perceptively significant to them. Out of all the people that have experienced the surgery and everything that ties in with it though, there is one extraordinarily recognizable trait they all have.

A four-inch scar.

I guarantee that if you visit a baseball field that is hosting a baseball game with players at the collegiate or professional level and asked each player to lift the sleeve of his throwing arm to reveal the inside of his elbow, at least one would have this scar. In fact, there were nine pitchers on the 2010 MLB All-Star Game rosters that could very easily lift their arms and show you this scar...because they all had Tommy John surgery at one point in their career.

Despite the aforementioned arduous task of recovering from the imminent post-surgery physical therapy, it is quite obvious through prior documentation and examples that it can be done with extreme success. Perseverance, consistency and patience are three words that come to mind that assist in this. It's an interesting concept when all is done. When you're back playing, back on the field competing. When your career halts and you move onto the next steps of your life. Wherever that leaves, the experience will leave you with one common denominator.

A four-inch scar.

It signifies a fraternity of sorts, a growing collection of people that sympathize and relate to what you've been through and the gratification that you experience afterwards. It's a surrogate support group, unintentionally put together by no one in particular. A group of people that went through the terrors of Tommy John surgery. I look forward to that fraternity, to be able to be comfortable with the transformation of my left arm and to be able to share the story with those people. Everyone's experience with the operation is different, but the end result generally has one thing.

A four-inch scar.