Tommy John Surgery

Former pitcher Tommy John (2008), after whom the operation is named.

The Tommy John Surgery is an operation ( English surgery ) at the elbow joint , in which a torn ligament to the ulna by another tendon or another tape is replaced. The new band is usually taken from the wrist, forearm or hamstrings. The operation was named after baseball player Tommy John , who was the first athlete to undergo this operation in 1974.

The surgeon Frank Jobe previously only performed the operation on polio patients and patients with muscle damage and severed tendons in their hands. So he gave the then pitcher of the Los Angeles Dodgers only a maximum of five percent chance to play baseball again after the operation. However, the operation on September 25, 1974 and the subsequent healing went without major complications. In 1976, at the age of 33, John continued his career until 1989 without having to sit out another game due to elbow problems. During that time, he won more than 170 games for the Dodgers, New York Yankees , California Angels, and Oakland Athletics .

Today the chances of recovery are around 85% and the duration of the operation has been reduced from four hours to just under an hour. The healing time until the next game is - similar to a cruciate ligament tear - usually a year.

Because of the extremely heavy strain on the elbow ligaments when pitching in professional baseball, this injury and operation is particularly common among professional baseball players. In the United States , however, 55 high school pitchers were operated on in 2003 by James Andrews, one of the most famous surgeons alone . In recent years, however, quarterbacks in American football have also been successfully treated with it. a. the NFL players Jake Delhomme and Rob Johnson .

Web links

Dr. Frank Jobe, Tommy John and the Surgery That Changed Baseball Forever. Article (English) with pictures, videos and information about the operation, Frank Jobe and the history of the operation.

Individual evidence

↑ Brent Pourciau: What Pitchers Need to Know About Tommy John Surgery. In: topvelocity.net. November 5, 2012, accessed on August 10, 2015 (English): “Dr. Frank Jobe, current advisor to the LA Dodgers, was the soon to be legendary doctor who performed the surgery, which at the time gave Tommy John only a 1% chance of playing again. "
↑ Mike Dodd: Tommy John surgery: Pitcher's best friend. In: usatoday.com. USA TODAY, July 28, 2003, accessed August 10, 2015 : "Andrews, who performed about 150 UCL reconstructions in the last year, says the success rate for major league pitchers is about 85%."
↑ Tom Verducci: The post-Tommy John surgery calculus that is changing the game. Jordan Zimmermann, Matt Harvey will be test cases for key question. In: si.com. Sports Illustrated, April 21, 2015, retrieved on August 10, 2015 : "While about 80% of initial Tommy John patients return to pitching at the same level after a first surgery, research by doctors at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit found that a second such surgery is far more disastrous to a pitcher's career. "
↑ Mike Dodd: Tommy John surgery: Pitcher's best friend. In: usatoday.com. USA TODAY, July 28, 2003, accessed on August 10, 2015 (English): "Doctors typically complete the operation in about an hour - less than one-third of the time it first took - and an overnight hospital stay frequently is not required . "
↑ Jonah Keri: Interview with Dr. Frank Jobe. In: espn.go.com. ESPN, September 13, 2001, accessed on August 10, 2015 (English): “The techniques have improved though. It takes about an hour now. With Tommy, it took about four. "
↑ Mike Dodd: Tommy John surgery: Pitcher's best friend. In: usatoday.com. USA TODAY, July 28, 2003, accessed on August 10, 2015 (English): "The surgery requires a full year of rehabilitation and typically another year pitching before returning to pre-injury form."
↑ Mike Dott: A year of rehab for Tommy John patients. In: usatoday.com. USA TODAY, July 29, 2003, accessed on August 10, 2015 (English): "The operation takes about an hour, and the ensuing rehabilitation about a year."

[1] Brent Pourciau: What Pitchers Need to Know About Tommy John Surgery. In: topvelocity.net. November 5, 2012, accessed on August 10, 2015 (English): “Dr. Frank Jobe, current advisor to the LA Dodgers, was the soon to be legendary doctor who performed the surgery, which at the time gave Tommy John only a 1% chance of playing again. "

[2] Mike Dodd: Tommy John surgery: Pitcher's best friend. In: usatoday.com. USA TODAY, July 28, 2003, accessed August 10, 2015 : "Andrews, who performed about 150 UCL reconstructions in the last year, says the success rate for major league pitchers is about 85%."

[3] Tom Verducci: The post-Tommy John surgery calculus that is changing the game. Jordan Zimmermann, Matt Harvey will be test cases for key question. In: si.com. Sports Illustrated, April 21, 2015, retrieved on August 10, 2015 : "While about 80% of initial Tommy John patients return to pitching at the same level after a first surgery, research by doctors at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit found that a second such surgery is far more disastrous to a pitcher's career. "

[4] Mike Dodd: Tommy John surgery: Pitcher's best friend. In: usatoday.com. USA TODAY, July 28, 2003, accessed on August 10, 2015 (English): "Doctors typically complete the operation in about an hour - less than one-third of the time it first took - and an overnight hospital stay frequently is not required . "

[5] Jonah Keri: Interview with Dr. Frank Jobe. In: espn.go.com. ESPN, September 13, 2001, accessed on August 10, 2015 (English): “The techniques have improved though. It takes about an hour now. With Tommy, it took about four. "

[6] Mike Dodd: Tommy John surgery: Pitcher's best friend. In: usatoday.com. USA TODAY, July 28, 2003, accessed on August 10, 2015 (English): "The surgery requires a full year of rehabilitation and typically another year pitching before returning to pre-injury form."

[7] Mike Dott: A year of rehab for Tommy John patients. In: usatoday.com. USA TODAY, July 29, 2003, accessed on August 10, 2015 (English): "The operation takes about an hour, and the ensuing rehabilitation about a year."