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Baseball Health Network

Understanding Tommy John Surgery – And How To Avoid It

By Dr. Christopher Ahmad
Baseball Health Network

Dr. Christopher AhmadIn baseball, we have reached epidemic levels of players needing Tommy John Surgery. At the Major League level, one in four pitchers has had Tommy John as a result of tearing their ulnar collateral ligament, or UCL. Unfortunately, these numbers translate to many younger players needing the surgery as well. To help combat the issues facing America’s pastime, I, along with Frank Alexander and Charlie Ahmad put our heads together and wrote Understanding Tommy John Surgery and How To Avoid It: A Guide for Young Baseball Players.

Understanding Tommy John SurgeryTo reverse these epidemic trends our goal is to start changing the culture at the youth levels before bad habits develop, similar to how we educate children on the dangers of smoking. In our office, we’re seeing younger and younger players walk through the door at an alarming rate. We hope that by educating younger athletes, they won’t wind up in our office when they’re older.

Adds Frank, “I remember playing and even when I worked at the college level, guys walked around the clubhouse or dugout with their scar from Tommy John as a badge of honor. They viewed it as a rite of passage. No player should ever want to have surgery and it’s time that we change that line of thinking.”

Understanding Tommy John dives into the anatomy of the elbow, what the process is like when a player gets injured, and offers tips and tricks for youth baseball players to stay healthy. By taking action earlier, players can make better decisions and avoid injury by understanding how the elbow works and what mistakes can be avoided before they land in our office!

Dr. Ahmad To Host 2nd Annual Baseball Sports Medicine Seminar

By Jim Monaghan
Baseball Health Network

Jim MonaghanDr. Christopher Ahmad, Head Team Physician for the New York Yankees and founding member of the Baseball Health Network will lead an esteemed panel of physicians, trainers and baseball notables at the 2nd annual Baseball Sports Medicine: Game-Changing Concepts seminar on November 16-17 in New York.

This live activity is designed to identify areas of concern or controversy in the management of baseball athletes in a team sport setting through didactic presentations and case-based scenarios. Key issues, along with up-to-date and practice solutions, will be addressed. Time has been built into the agenda for questions and answers.

Joining Dr. Ahmad as course director is Chicago White Sox Team Physician Dr. Anthony Romeo.

GUEST SPEAKERS
Jeff Passan – New York Times bestselling author and MLB columnist for Yahoo! Sports
Joe Torre – MLB’s Chief Baseball Officer and former manager of the New York Mets and New York Yankees

INVITED FACULTY
Robert B. Anderson, MD OrthoCarolina Charlotte, NC
Michael Ciccotti, MD Head Team Physician Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia, PA
Jeffrey R. Dugas, MD Andrews Sports Medicine Birmingham, AL
Neal ElAttrache, MD Head Team Physician Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles, CA
Lee Kaplan, MD Medical Director & Team Physician Miami Marlins Miami, FL
Sean T. Lynch, MD Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery Columbia University Medical Center New York, NY
Ron Porterfield, Head Athletic Trainer Tampa Bay Rays Tampa, FL
Mark Schickendantz, MD Head Team Physician Cleveland Indians Cleveland, OH
Nikhil Verma, MD Team Physician Chicago White Sox Chicago, IL
Kevin Wilk, PT, DPT, FAPTA Associate Clinical Director Champion Sports Medicine Director, Rehabilitative Research Birmingham, AL

TARGET AUDIENCE
This conference is designed for any orthopaedic surgeon, physician, athletic trainer, physical therapist, strength and conditioning expert, or coach concerned with the management or prevention of injuries to the baseball athlete.

OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:
•Analyze epidemiological trends in baseball injuries for professional, collegiate and youth baseball players
•Integrate prevention strategies with their health care team(s) to improve musculoskeletal and medical health for baseball players
•Assess and apply surgical and non-surgical treatment recommendations and rehabilitation protocols for the management of essential musculoskeletal and medical conditions in baseball

Last year was a huge success with MLB team physicians, trainers, and therapists presenting diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for baseball injuries.

For more details, click here for our full-color brochure.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

The Pros & Cons Of Training With Weighted Baseballs

By Jim Monaghan
Baseball Health Network

Jim MonaghanThey’re not new – pitchers were using them in the mid-1970’s as part of their training routine – but weighted baseballs appear to be gaining some new proponents at the MLB level.

The National Center For Biotechnology Information (NCBI) recently published an abstract by Dr. Glenn Fleisig of the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, AL (the research part of Dr. James Andrews’ world-famous practice) which examined the differences between weighted-ball exercises compared to the traditional 5 ounce baseball.

In a recent post on MLB.com, Lindsay Berra explored how pitchers at the highest level are once again turning to weighted baseballs.

weighted baseballs

Fleisig concluded that throwing slightly underweight and overweight baseballs is not only a reasonable exercise for baseball pitchers, but also that the variation from the normal routine of throwing a 5-ounce ball serves to increase awareness in the nerves and muscles and can make a pitcher more effective when he returns to the standard baseball.

However, the use of weighted balls isn’t universal across Major League Baseball.

The Phillies, Marlins, Royals and Pirates are among clubs that have been wary of using this method, with the fear that training with weighted balls — both underloaded and overloaded — creates too much stress on the elbow and can cause injury.

Former professional pitcher Brent Pourciau has cautioned against the use of weighted balls as a means of gaining velocity.

There is science showing weighted baseball training can increase pitching velocity but the question is, “At what risk?”

The Baseball Health Network offers these points of view on the subject.

Steve Hayward photo
BHN Founder Steve Hayward
Baseball Health Network founder Steve Hayward – I don’t have a concrete stand on weighted baseballs. Years ago I worked with them for a few weeks, but I didn’t like the way my arm felt throwing them and never promoted them. Over the years I’ve realized that weighted balls can have a place in a player’s training at some level. But they are certainly not for all players, only the players that have the ability to throw a regulation baseball with efficient throwing/pitching mechanics. I believe, as with any training routine, that some players will see positive results while others may see adverse reactions. My theory is if a player does something that makes his arm feel good and velocity increases, who am I to tell him not to do it? My own guideline with pitchers is to caution them to be careful when doing any type of weight training regimen.

CJ Nitkowski
Former MLB pitcher CJ Nitkowski
Former MLB pitcher and current Texas Rangers/Fox Sports 1 baseball analyst C.J. Nitkowski – I am in favor of using weighted baseballs as a compliment to any arm strength program. I used them in college in the early 90’s during a period in my life when I saw my greatest gains in velocity. Long toss, strength training and nutrition all played a role. There is no one single factor that will get you the velocity gains you seek. Weighted baseballs can also be used to teach proper arm path, even in young throwers (without actually throwing the weighted baseball). Like with any training there is a risk of injury and not all players will get the same results. If you’re considering weighted baseball as part of your training make sure you read up on them, do your research and get with a professional teacher who can guide you.

Ron Darling
Former MLB pitcher Ron Darling
Former MLB pitcher and current New York Mets/TBS/MLB Network analyst Ron Darling – (from MLB Tonight 3/15/17) I remember when I pitched for the Mets, and most of the Mets did not have any shoulder injuries because we had an old trainer, Tommy McKenna, who fought in the Korean conflict. When he came back (from Korea) he had this martial arts kind of thing with a weighted ball that we would imitate the alphabet in certain ways. No one ever had shoulder injuries because of using a weighted ball in such a way to build the back of the shoulder so it wouldn’t hurt your rotator cuff. David Cone, Dwight Gooden, Sid Fernandez, myself…all of those pitchers used it…none of them had shoulder issues.

Tommy John Town Hall Meeting June 28, 2016

By Jim Monaghan
Baseball Health Network

Jim MonaghanBaseball Health Network members Dr. Christopher Ahmad and Leo Mazzone were among the members of an all-star panel at the “Tommy John Town Hall Meeting” on June 28 in New York City.

Tommy John, the man for whom the celebrated surgical procedure was named was also joined by Dr. Glenn Fleisig from the American Sports Medicine Institute, moderated by WFAN’s Ed Randall.

Fans 4 the Cure Town Hall Meeting
L-to-R: Ed Randall, Tommy John, Leo Mazzone, Dr. Christopher Ahmad, Dr. Glenn Fleisig

Among the many highlights –

* Tommy John saying that in all the years since his surgery, not one MLB pitcher who’s undergone the same procedure has ever reached out to him.

* Leo Mazzone on one of his secrets to pitching without injury – “Pitchers should throw more often, but with less intensity. Throw a lot so that you find your max effort you can put on a pitch without maxing out.”

* Tommy John remembering an instance in which renowned player agent Scott Boras said that Tommy John doesn’t know what he’s talking about when it comes to the surgery that bears his name.

* Dr. Christopher Ahmad on studying Tommy John surgery technique under legendary Dr. Frank Jobe – “As he began an operation, Dr. Jobe turned to me and said, ‘I’ve done so many of these procedures…I think I’ll do this one left-handed.’ The joke was on all of us in the operating room, since he was, in fact, left-handed.”

* Dr. Glenn Fleisig – “There was a recent study that demonstrated that overexertion on full-speed fastballs and not curve balls were the cause of the majority of arm injuries.”

* Tommy John saying that it’s a myth pitchers throw harder after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Proceeds from the event went to Ed Randall’s Fans For the Cure.

Tommy John Surgery Panel With BHN Members Chris Ahmad & Leo Mazzone

By Jim Monaghan
Baseball Health Network

Ed Randall’s Fans For the Cure has a very special event planned for Tuesday June 28 at 7 PM at SVA Theatre at the School for Visual Arts in Manhattan.

Tommy JohnA panel of experts will join former Major League pitcher Tommy John for a discussion about pitch counts, best practices for pitching and throwing, the importance of extended recovery periods for young athletes, and the truths and myths of Tommy John surgery.

Guests also include one-time Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone and Yankees’ Dr. Christopher Ahmad from the Baseball Health Network, and American Sports Medicine Institue Research Director Dr. Glenn Fleisig.

Moderated by WFAN radio personality Ed Randall, all proceeds will go to Fans for the Cure.

Tickets are $50 per person in advance and $75 at the door. Click here to purchase now and reserve your seat.

Ed RandallEd Randall is well-known to baseball fans in the NY/NJ area. A long-time host of “Ed Randall’s Talking Baseball” on WFAN, Ed is the CEO and Founder of Ed Randall’s Fans for the Cure (FFTC), a 501(c)(3) charity he started in 2003 to promote prostate cancer awareness and the life-saving value of screenings and early detection.

All proceeds go to Fans for the Curea,, a charity that promotes awareness and education about prostate cancer.

MLB’s Next Tommy John Surgery of 2016 Is….

By Jim Monaghan
Baseball Health Network

…Carson Smith from the Boston Red Sox.

Carson Smith
Photo courtesy of the Associated Press
The team announced that reliever Smith underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday May 24, in New York City to repair his ulnar collateral ligament. Mets team Medical Director Dr. David Altchek performed the procedure.

Smith was picked up by Boston in an off-season trade that sent Jonathan Aro and Wade Miley to the Mariners. He was expected to fill a set-up role in what was regarded as one of the best bullpens in the majors.

He missed the end of spring training with what was called a a strained flexor mass muscle. He started the season on the disabled list and didn’t make his 2016 debut until May 3rd. Smith made three appearances for the Red Sox this year going 2.2 innings.

(Some of this material originally appeared on RedSoxLife.com)

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