For those interested, here is my son’s update four months post-op:
- He has been swinging a whiffle ball bat off the tee and is cleared to proceed to a regular bat as soon as he can go a week at full speed with no pain.
- Throwing program began yesterday and it is a little conservative on the front end. If he does well he can progress faster but the thought is if you start too fast you can’t go backwards.
- Posterior capsule is still tight and range of motion is not 100% but PT says that’s not a terribly big deal for him right now since his throwing motion is that of a catcher. The work on that continues.
- General workouts have expanded out to heavier multi-joint movements but the focus is primarily getting his lower body really strong (squat, dead lift, lunge, kettle ball carry, etc.).
- Cleared for running at 75%.
- Cleared for all other catching specific work (blocking, shift, transfer, popups, etc.)
As a side note – and on the recruiting front – he has applied to six schools (five D3 - one D2), been accepted to four (with one coach extending an “offer” and three others with expressed interest), and is awaiting packets from the remaining two. The biggest hurdle for us right now, outside his recovery process, is haggling with the financial aid offices at each of these institutions to try to find more money. I guess it’s a good lesson for him about how the rest of life will work.
¡Salud!