Tommy John? No Thanks. I’ll Throw 90 Instead
Last November, I got a call from my friend Jason Burke, the pitching coach at Wofford College, a formidable D1 program in Spartanburg, SC. Jason told me he had a pitcher he needed some help with. The pitcher’s name was Connell Anderson, a senior righty who had missed the entire fall due to elbow pain.
During the 2014 spring campaign, Connell was a starter on the Terriers’ squad, but about half way through the season his elbow started to bother him. It got worse as the year went on, and by...
Shrinkage!!
So,
Valentine's day was Saturday...
Went to a nice restaurant on the beach in Clearwater.
Our table had a beautiful view of the beach and a small courtyard where the resort was hosting one wedding after another. Guess it was a good day for romance.
As our meal concluded I noticed a wedding beginning. It was a small event, maybe 20 people in attendance, but it was sweet. The bride was a pleasant looking blonde in her mid 30s.She wore a beige lacy dress that matched exactly the oufit of...
Pitcher’s Funny Bone Ain’t So funny
Two summers ago, within about a 3 week period, we had 3 high school kids who came to us with medial elbow pain and numbness and tingling into their pinkie and ring fingers.
Any time a pitcher complains of pain on the inside of the elbow, you worry about damage to the UCL -- the dreaded Tommy John surgery. But sometimes it's not the Tommy John ligament at all.
Here is a rudimentary field test to see if you might have damage to the UCL.
It's called "The milking test."
Place your...
Scars Live Forever!
Yesterday was one of the coolest days of my professional career.
I’ve been in Physical Therapy practice for over 21 years, and I continue to learn more every day.
Yesterday, I had the privilege of scrubbing in and observing a UCL reconstruction done by Tampa Rays team physician, Dr. Koko Eaton. It was a joy to watch a master at work. Over the years I’ve seen lots of surgeries (labrum repairs, rotator cuff repairs, UCLs, ACLs, Total hip and knee replacements). I can’t begin to describe...
