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Tommy Jon Surgery

NoErrorsNoLossesNoErrorsNoLossesMember
For anyone out there who is having arm problems and is planning on seeing a doctor make sure you go to a sports specialist not just an ordinary doctor. Last June I threw the ball from SS to first base and my whole arm went numb and I thought I heard something pop. So I went to the doctor the next day and they took an MRI and he said that there was no really serious injury to my elbow but I shouldn't do anything for the next couple of months. So I missed the whole summer and I threw again in September and it felt really good. Unfortunately the next morning my elbow was black and blue and extremely swollen and I knew something was definitely wrong. I went back to that same doctor and got the MRI that they and taken in June and took it to Art Reddig(Indianapolis Colts). As soon as he looked at he told me that I had a fairly serios tear to a ligament in my elbow and would require surgey. So the injury happened in June but I didn't have the surgey until November just because I went to the wrong doctor, and since I had the surgery so late I am not able to play baseball this year either, just DH. So if you have arm problems seriously consider going straight to a sports specialist so the same thing doesn't happen to you.
"If you want things easy go run track." -Coach S
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TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
Good advice.

I am not so sure the doctor can be blamed if the MRI was not read correctly by the person reading the results.

Small tears are hard to diagnose, sometimes seen more clearly in contrast MRI.

Also usual protocol is rest, rehab. However, I do agree that anyone involved in sports having issues should see a doctor who specializes in sports related injuries.
Y yanks74692Member
quote:
Originally posted by NoErrorsNoLosses:
For anyone out there who is having arm problems and is planning on seeing a doctor make sure you go to a sports specialist not just an ordinary doctor. Last June I threw the ball from SS to first base and my whole arm went numb and I thought I heard something pop. So I went to the doctor the next day and they took an MRI and he said that there was no really serious injury to my elbow but I shouldn't do anything for the next couple of months. So I missed the whole summer and I threw again in September and it felt really good. Unfortunately the next morning my elbow was black and blue and extremely swollen and I knew something was definitely wrong. I went back to that same doctor and got the MRI that they and taken in June and took it to Art Reddig(Indianapolis Colts). As soon as he looked at he told me that I had a fairly serios tear to a ligament in my elbow and would require surgey. So the injury happened in June but I didn't have the surgey until November just because I went to the wrong doctor, and since I had the surgery so late I am not able to play baseball this year either, just DH. So if you have arm problems seriously consider going straight to a sports specialist so the same thing doesn't happen to you.



I went through the same thing the one doctor told me it wasnt a tear and to rest it for 4 months and the better doctor said it was a tear and I need surgery. I went with the better doctor and got it fixed. Now I am just about ready to start tossing. Instead of waiting to see if i got the same pain again.
S switchitter100+ posts
List of doctors who are nationally known for elbows/shoulders:

Dr. James Andrews (Birmingham, AL) his name speaks for itself
Dr. Timothy E. Dicke (Indianapolis, IN) Indianapolis Indians miracle worker
Dr. Frank Jobe - Cali - Sports - First to do tommy john
Dr. John Conway - Ft. Worth TX - Sports - Up and commer - Jobe's Protégé

Also: Here are the ORTHO BIG DOGS.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/archive/index.php/t-154081.html
Last edited by switchitter
B buckeyefan4lif14Member
Another good surgeon is Dr. Tim Kremchek in Cincinnati... he is the reds doctor and has pictures in his office of all the players that he has taken under the knife, it is pretty amazing all the guys from California and that area of the country for him to do their surgeries, most recently Milton Bradly.


Anyway, heres my story. Im a senior in Cincinnati and i had TJ last february, i just started my curve ball phase. I had been diagnosed with "tendonitis" at age 12, but it never really got better so i had to pitch through it. After my junior year fall ball i went to Dr. K with arm pain and he showed me the mri, i had torn ligiment, nerve partially torn, and a piece of bone floating in my elbow. He thinks the 1st doctor misdiagnosed me back when i were 12, meaning i might have been pitching with a small tear for 4 years before i knew what was actually wrong........ GO TO A SPECIALIST!
Last edited by buckeyefan4lif14
play baseballplay baseball1,000+ posts
***I agree that sometimes MRIs are very difficult to read. Sometimes the only way to know what's going on is with an arthroscope. If you can, go to a doctor who specializes in that body part, not who treats a "broad spectrum".

***Definitely go to a doctor who treats sports injuries, in particular your sport, again, if you can. My family's observation is that they understand the whole injury more than someone who is "just" an orthopedic surgeon.

***My family has trusted the doctors at Midwest Orthopedics at Rush in Chicago for all of our (many) surgical needs. Frown They are team doctors for the White Sox and Bulls. We could not be more pleased with them. I heartily recommend them.
Last edited by play baseball
MTHMTH10,000+ posts
I read somewhere that MRI's show full tears over 90% of the time, but partial tears only show up on MRI around 14% of the time. Some doctors may be better than others at interpreting scans, but frequently the failure to see the problem is due to the limitations of the MRI itself. Medical science has only progressed so far.

quote:
Originally posted by theEH:
Great advice NENL,
Good Luck to you on your recovery.
EH
D dawgduck10+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by buckeyefan4lif14:
Another good surgeon is Dr. Tim Kremchek in Cincinnati... he is the reds doctor and has pictures in his office of all the players that he has taken under the knife, it is pretty amazing all the guys from California and that area of the country for him to do their surgeries, most recently Milton Bradly.


Anyway, heres my story. Im a senior in Cincinnati and i had TJ last february, i just started my curve ball phase. I had been diagnosed with "tendonitis" at age 12, but it never really got better so i had to pitch through it. After my junior year fall ball i went to Dr. K with arm pain and he showed me the mri, i had torn ligiment, nerve partially torn, and a piece of bone floating in my elbow. He thinks the 1st doctor misdiagnosed me back when i were 12, meaning i might have been pitching with a small tear for 4 years before i knew what was actually wrong........ GO TO A SPECIALIST!
play baseballplay baseball1,000+ posts
quote:
He thinks the 1st doctor misdiagnosed me back when i were 12, meaning i might have been pitching with a small tear for 4 years before i knew what was actually wrong........ GO TO A SPECIALIST!


Makes sense to me. I think that very thing happened to my son who had labrum surgery in his senior year.....he injured his shoulder at 12 and I don't think it ever was properly diagnosed so that it could have been properly treated---until it was.
Last edited by play baseball
S shaggyMember
MTH is right. MRI's of the shoulder or lower arm can be inconclusive even with contrast(dye). Unfortunately, many insurance plans require the standard checklist to be followed. Xray-MRI-Arthogram-Exploratory Surgery. I had an xray upon my initial consultation, a diagnosis of tendonitis, an MRI after several more months of "issues" and that proved to be inconclusive. Only after the dye was shot in did we get a tear diagnosis and even then the radiologist hedged. After the dr was "in there" he found what was really going on. (torn labrum and partial rotator tear -3 weeks into recovery) MRI's not perfect but better than nothing.

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