Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital found among MLB pitchers who underwent a second Tommy John surgery, their performance declined and their careers became shorter, reports Medicalxpress.com.
Researchers analyzed data and performance surrounding 33 pitchers who fit the criteria between 1996 and 2012 and compared them to pitchers who never received the surgery. Only 65 percent of pitchers with two surgeries returned to the professional level, averaged three years or less at that level and saw the amount of innings they pitched dropped to nearly half. They also saw their win-loss record dropped in half, reports Medicalxpress.com
"It's possible that increased surveillance of pitch counts, a lesser pitching role or a lack of arm endurance after a second surgery may be contributing factor in performance and pitching workload," said Vasilios (Bill) Moutzouros, MD, a Henry Ford orthopedic surgeon and the study's senior author to Medicalxpress.com.
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