Hello, two weeks ago I began my throwing program post elbow surgery. I filmed myself in slow motion and noticed I was throwing awkwardly. My throwing mechanics are off. For those of you who have sons who have had surgery on their arm, were their throwing mechanics off when returning to throwing? Is this normal? I don’t want this to lead to more injuries, so any advice is welcome. Below I attached a video of my throwing mechanics from yesterday.
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What type of surgery?
@MidAtlanticDad posted:What type of surgery?
I had surgery in November on my elbow. I fractured it and I have a screw in it to keep it in place. I can probably get the exact name of the surgery after.
Tough to tell by the video, but I didn’t see anything that would cause injury. Maybe work on some drills that will isolate the upper half (one knee throws) to see if you still feel the awkwardness
@2025prospect posted:I had surgery in November on my elbow. I fractured it and I have a screw in it to keep it in place. I can probably get the exact name of the surgery after.
Sounds like a growth plate fracture. I think some members here have been through that with their sons.
Are you working with a physical therapist? If so, does that person have experience working with baseball players?
@MidAtlanticDad posted:Sounds like a growth plate fracture. I think some members here have been through that with their sons.
Are you working with a physical therapist? If so, does that person have experience working with baseball players?
Yes, I was working with a physical therapist but stopped. The person did have lots of experience with baseball players. The doctor told me that I only had to go to a physical therapist during the throwing program if I felt a little more sore or felt I needed it.
@2025prospect posted:Yes, I was working with a physical therapist but stopped. The person did have lots of experience with baseball players. The doctor told me that I only had to go to a physical therapist during the throwing program if I felt a little more sore or felt I needed it.
Unfortunately some doctors who don't work wth athletes don't really understand what is involved in getting back to 100% as a ball player. Physical therapy deals with much more than pain. In fact, most of the work is done after the pain stops. My son had a growth plate fracture of his medial epicondyle (elbow), and even with lot's of PT he struggled to regain full range of movement (extension) of his elbow, and this began to cause overload of his shoulder which led to some tendonitis. It took over a year to get back to normal. I would suggest at a minimum you see a physical therapist to check out your arm and see that you've got the range of motion, flexibility, strength, etc that you should have, and then go from there.
@Smitty28 posted:Unfortunately some doctors who don't work wth athletes don't really understand what is involved in getting back to 100% as a ball player. Physical therapy deals with much more than pain. In fact, most of the work is done after the pain stops. My son had a growth plate fracture of his medial epicondyle (elbow), and even with lot's of PT he struggled to regain full range of movement (extension) of his elbow, and this began to cause overload of his shoulder which led to some tendonitis. It took over a year to get back to normal. I would suggest at a minimum you see a physical therapist to check out your arm and see that you've got the range of motion, flexibility, strength, etc that you should have, and then go from there.
Thank you. Was your son at full range of motion when he began his throwing program?
@2025prospect posted:Thank you. Was your son at full range of motion when he began his throwing program?
I can't say. I can tell you that he did PT on his elbow after the fracture healed, then it regressed over time and he compensated with changes to his throwing motion that then affected his shoulder (this was learned in hindsight). It was only after he found a PT that understood throwing and the relationship between the elbow and shoulder, and worked them both back to a normal state, that his arm issues went away. This was his 3rd or 4th PT over an almost two year period.
