Tommy John Surgery

Surgery is a four letter word for most people. It conjures of images of pain and pain killers, rest and lengthy rehab. For an athlete, the stakes are even higher. It can often mean the difference between playing again or retiring. Despite all the advances in medicine there is always that "what if" white elephant in the room - what if it doesn't work and I can never play again?

With the recent news of Washington Nationals wonderkid Stephen Strasburg having to go under the knife, the tragic price athletes can pay for pushing their bodies to the limit was brought to the forefront of the collective sporting world's mind. 

Throwing a baseball is the most unnatural motion in sport and this motion places a great deal of stress on the both the elbow and the shoulder. In 1974 Tommy John, then a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, became a victim of this stress and, at the hands of Dr Frank Jobe underwent Ulnar Collateral Ligament reconstruction. It has since become known as Tommy John Surgery as he was the first to have the procedure done. Now, I digress and will admit that some ball players should probably consider stomach stapling surgery before anything else!

Whatever surgical procedure an athlete chooses to undergo, the return to playing is never a sure thing. The road back is also a long one. In some small way I know what this is like. I've had Tommy John surgery. Unfortunately though, one small ligament change wasn't able to elevate my fastball from weekend warrior superhero to chicks dig the fastball status. As of 2009, the success rate of this particular procedure was listed at between 85-92%. So, while the odds are good Stephen Strasburg will return, they are by no means a slam dunk.

The unfortunate thing about his injury is that Strasburg made people turn on their TV's to watch baseball again. He was water cooler talk for even the casual fan. In his brief stint in the majors people came out to see his magic right arm sling bullets and baffle hitters. Here's hoping we see him again soon.