For a pitcher to return to full-form after Tommy John surgery, it is crucial to receive proper rehabilitation and gradual return to throwing, according to Thomas McSweeney, MD, in an OregonLive.com.
Here are seven notes on how to rehab properly after Tommy John surgery:
1. After the elbow is splinted/braced for the initial few weeks after surgery, PT should begin, focusing on lengthening the muscles in the upper back, shoulder, trunk, elbow and wrist/hand.
2. More aggressive PT should begin around four months, using "multi-joint" exercises.
3. At the same time, a formal throwing program can begin, with a 45-foot distance, increased regularly over time.
4. If a ball can be thrown from 180-feet with no symptoms at nine months, throwing from the mound is allowed.
5. Competitive return-to-play is not usually allowed until one year after the surgery.
6. Frank Jobe, MD, developer of the UCL reconstruction surgery, has refuted claims that pitchers can throw faster than they did before UCL surgery.
7. Prevention is often the best medicine; advising pitchers to rest if they are experiencing elbow pain.
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