Tommy John Surgery

by Michael Regan Intro  The elbow is a hinge joint composed of three bones, the humerus, ulna, and radius, ligaments, tendons, and muscles that work together to allow overhead throwing. In baseball, especially during pitching, the elbow is subjected to extreme shear forces as the arm accelerates perpendicular to the hinge of the joint. This places most of the force on the soft tissue structures on the inside of the elbow. These structures include the flexor muscles of the forearm, along with the infamous UCL ligament. Every pitch can create twice as much force as the UCL can handle on its own, meaning the muscles of the arm have to be strong in order to absorb that force and keep the UCL in tact.   The Lead Up  Before baseball players injure their UCL, there are often warning signs. Some o...