PT and Tommy John Surgery

Unfortunately, I know quite a lot about this topic. My son (spring of his 11th grade year) did do PT for 5-6 weeks between mid March and mid May 2006. Why? The Doc studied with Andrews and suggested it- we trusted him. Our insurance would not pay for surgery unless we FIRST did the PT. The Doc did say there was a 50/50 chance. He never got better and his was a partial tear. Surgery occurred on May 30, 2006. Rehab took almost a year. He only batted as a JR. and only pitched about 11 innings as a SR. But during post season and summer 07 he was back to his old self. He signed to pitch college baseball-July 07 and Jan. 08. (Transferred to a college 3 times better than the first)

I will be glad to direct you to articles, web sites, etc. I did a lot of research- this was all before I found this site. We knew of no one else who had info about this and this site helped a lot in the end.

If you do PT, go to a good one that maybe has experience with TJ patients. Our PT had done 9 other TJ patients and this is in Huntington, WV. The surgery only last about an hour but the quality and relationship your son has with the PT is VERY important.

I am sorry- I know your heart is aching but it will be ok and you and your son are not alone. This will provide an opportunity to bond with your son and you will become closer than ever. My son said after surgery (during rehab) that he did not know “who he was” because he was always that “good pitcher” guy. He learned “who” he was during his recovery and is a better person and pitcher for it.

quote:

Originally posted by MSgrits:

I am sorry- I know your heart is aching but it will be ok and you and your son are not alone.

That's for darned sure. Sadly, there are way too many members of the My Son Had Tommy John Surgery Club.


However, I will repeat it: "I know your heart is aching but it will be ok and you and your son are not alone."

Feel free to engage in private messages. My son had the surgery in July of '07, and is working very hard to be able to walk on to a new team in the fall.

MSgrits, that is a great story and it's so true. LottaStrikes, i respinded to you in your other post, but I will respind to this one also. PT vs TJ is a very difficult decision but it is one that you as a family have to make and don't look back.

My son had TJ surgery AUG. 08 and we are in Phase I Step 8 (throwing from 120ft.)We are very happy with our decision and we're only going forward. My son is now a senior in high school and he will not get to pitch at all this upcoming year, but he will get to hit and he will get to play a position so that makes things a little easier.

My son will sign with a junior college Feb. 2, they saw him this summer before the surgery, so we have a lot to look forward to. You can PM me anytime, I check in periodically.

Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is the cause of the injury that requires Tommy John surgery. It seems like it is becoming quite common. Are there preventative measures one can take to avoid this injury?
Thanks.

No ignorance- I hope your son never has the experience. It says Pitcher's best friend, but that is because it can save a career. Here is a link:
[URL=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2003-07-28-cover-tommy-john_x.htm]Tommy John[/URL

With my son, it was an over-use problem. Pitched in Mississippi too much. I can still hear the parents yelling" just one more strike"
For some others it is poor mechanics, etc. My son never had any arm soreness or prior problems. It tore at a professional pitching lesson; but that was the final tear. It gradually tears over the years until the ligament is torn to the point to need repair.

Preventative measures: Pitch count limit,proper warm-up, proper training and stretching, long toss, gradually throwing at different distances in the fall and winter before the season, don't throw a hard breaking curve ball until high school,building up the shoulder and all surrounding muscles in the shoulder area, a weak shoulder puts extra strain on the elbow.

Just say NO to the little league coach- trust me on that one- A state championship is what I feel put our son in this situation. Basically doing all the right things in pitching and catching at the right time at the various stages/ages of a players life.

Let me know if you have further questions.

lotta
it looks like you'll need to do the pt first anyway, or insurance won't pay? that can be easier than having to decide what to do.either way it's a slow process and it will seem like it will never end. play ball is right your son is not alone. though it will feel like it at times. good luck with it, i'm sure he'll be fine. you'll get lot's of support here.

heart bb

this isn't something that just happens ,it's an accumalitive injury. you can be careful with pitch counts, mechanics,and do some pm on the muscles that support the throwing action. sometimes a bone spur in the elbow will tear the ligament over time. it helps if you take precations early, but i wonder if may just happen anyway?

Thanks everyone for your replies and support. We have provided the Dr. our insurance info and he will be getting back to us with their reply.

I am pretty confident my son's injury is a result of his biceps tendonitis. In all liklihood, his shoulder had not healed properly when he began pitching again this fall, which put additional stress on his elbow, which tore his ligament. After the fall season, he rested for a couple of months, and then begain seeing his pitching coach again, and immediatedly felt pain in his elbow. If only we could turn back the clock and do that all over again!

He's been doing the PT now for 2 weeks, and feels much better and has much more extension in his arm. I was told that this doesn't necessarily mean anything, and as long as he doesn't pitch he will naturally feel better. I guess my question would be, how can I tell if the PT is working to the point that he doesn't need the surgery? Will he need another MRI to determine if scar tissue has grown over the tear? We would like to make this decision on surgery as soon as possible, so we are trying to gauge the success of the PT. Lastly, how long did your sons need to do the PT before insurance would cover the surgery? And how did their arm feel after the PT? How did you know that the PT was not successful, pain, an MRI?

Thanks again for your responses. I can't tell you how much hearing from others that went through this means to us. We no longer feel like the "crazy baseball parents!"

LottaStrikes,

We've been through the tj surgery/rehab and I left you a pm with my ph# if you wanted to chat about anything that concerns you.

Dear Ski Team....I don't know if you are still on here but my son is in need of TJS and I saw your response to LottaStrikes offering your phone number and email if they wanted to talk to you about specifics and advice.   My son has just been told he needs this surgury and my son are very confused.  Do you still offer your help to talk through some of the fears?

 

Thank you. 

Find J_H. He'll be able to help you out...