Coping with ‘Tommy John Surgery’

By DEANA LAUDICINA

After playing baseball since he was four years old, Ramapo College’s baseball pitcher Nick Recarte’s career had to come to a pause.

Recarte realized when “one day I was pitching in a summer game and just felt a weird feeling throughout my elbow. It didn’t hurt but I just couldn’t throw a ball anymore.”

In baseball, the pitcher is in charge of the pace of the game. With being a pitcher brings a lot of time practicing and dedication. Being a pitcher is not a position for anyone, which is why the importance of this position is high. because not just anyone can become a pitcher. This takes a toll on the pitcher because to get the player out at the plate they must throw the ball in a fast speed and accuracy to strike them out, using your elbow frequently.

On Sept. 14, Recarte underwent a common surgery in baseball to reconstruct his elbow,  a procedure called Tommy John surgery. Tommy John is also known as UCL which is ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction.

“I have been playing baseball since I was four years old so about 17 years, and thanks to my surgery I can prolong my career.”jThe next most likely group after teenagers to have Tommy John surgery are patients aged 20 to 24, who account for 22.2 percent of the procedures, the new study found.

With the amount of young children playing baseball has what made the number of this surgery increase.

Dr. Harry A Blade of Professional Orthopaedic Associates in Shrewsbury states “five percent of Little League-aged players will suffer and injury that prevents them from throwing. The numbers are on the rise because there are more kids playing than ever before.”

Young adults who play baseball in their college career are typically affected with this injury. When Recarte had surgery on his elbow, it affected the way he threw the ball.

“The success rate of Tommy John surgery has reached such a high point, with 80% of the pitchers who undergo the procedure returning to their previous level of competition for at least a game, it’s easy to forget that still means one of every five cases fail,” Jorge L. Ortiz tells USA TODAY Sports.

A recent unscientific poll conducted via social media showed that:

Do you know anyone personally who has had the Tommy John surgery due to playing baseball?

— Huddle up (@_huddleup) April 21, 2017

This has not been the first time Ramapo’s baseball team has had to have one of their players have this surgery. They recently just had their player, Ryan Doerr, sophomore out to get the Tommy John surgery.

For Doerr he knew right away it was not a good sign when he felt the pop in his elbow hoping it was strain in his forearm.

“When you’re a baseball player and you feel that pop and that kind of pain the thought of Tommy John is gonna pop up in your head. I tried to throw again right after the pop and the ball went 5 ft and that thought grew,” Doerr stated.

Doerr being a position player and not a pitcher his recovery is only around eight to nine months as for a pitcher it can be up to a little over a year.

“I plan on getting back on the field as early as I can but that’s all up to the doctor.  Rehab program says to start the throwing program around four months and I should be able to start swinging the bat by then also so hopefully by the fall semester I’ll be able to DH for inter-squad games. But for now, I’m in physical therapy every day and I’m feeling pretty confident I could pull an early comeback I just have to be careful not to rush,” Doerr added.

Whereas for Recarte he never really had arm problems.

“I just constantly pitched throughout every spring summer and fall season. I didn’t necessarily take great care of my arm. But I didn’t take a bad care of it. I always thought it wouldn’t happen to me until one day I was pitching in a summer game and just felt a weird feeling throughout my elbow. It didn’t hurt but I just couldn’t throw a ball anymore, it didn’t effect me any other way. I was still able to throw a football but not a baseball,” Recarte added.

As this had put a take back on Recarte’s current career, his dedication to fully recover is what is making it each day possible to be ready to be back on the mound. From his high school career at Queen of Peace to his college career at Ramapo College, the talent he has brought to the mound shows his hard work and dedication.

High School Career

Recarte went to Queen of Peace High School and played as a pitcher during his high school career. In high school was named First Team All-Division, 2014, and All-County Honorable mentioned in 2014.

When Recarte was not on the mound he played in the outfield. In 2013 season, his hitting average was .352 with 14RBI, seven runs scored, three doubles and a triple. Recarte was known as the ace pitcher, who is known as the started pitcher leading the defense of the team.

College Career

Graduating from Queen of Peace, Recarte went to College of Mount Saint Vincent to play baseball. After playing there for a year, Recarte transferred to Ramapo College to pursue his baseball career after playing his freshman year.

“I transferred to Ramapo to be closer to home and for more competitive baseball. It has been a decision that has played off for me because I like where I’m at. I knew where ever I would end up I would like to compete at a high level and Ramapo was a good fit for me,” Recarte added.

Going into his sophomore year in baseball,  he had more appearances than he did his freshman year at Mount Saint Vincent. Ending his sophomore season in 2016, he made eight appearances on the mound with five of him starting.

Injury Sets In

“I knew the night of my surgery that it was going to be Tommy John after examination. It was a tough pill to swallow because it would determine whether I would be in school for another year. It was very humbling for me, but it is a blessing in disguise,” Recarte stated.

This surgery does not just happen to baseball players, but it is has become a common surgery known in the baseball world affecting many college teams and their players.

American Sports Medicine Institute recommends ways to prevent surgery. 

This gives recommendations such as follow limits for pitch counts and days of rest, watch and respond to signs of fatigue, throwing curveballs, and avoid using radar guns. These few examples gives pitchers and coaches a guide to help their pitchers be great pitchers but healthy at the same time.

As the American Sports Medicine goes into main detail with throwing curveballs and how it can affect the pitcher. “Throwing curveballs has been suggested as a risk factor, but the existing research does not support this concern. However, an adolescent pitcher may not have enough physical development, neuromuscular control, and proper coaching instruction to throw a curveball with good mechanics. Throwing curveballs too early may be counter-productive, leading to arm fatigue as well as limiting the youth’s ability to master fastball mechanics.”

Still till this day, he is still recovering after seven months after having the surgery.

“My surgery was about seven months ago and I am still not quite healed. I had a cast for a week then had to wear a brace for a month. I did physical therapy three times a week for three months and now I throw three times a week following a strict throwing program,” said Recarte.

What’s Next

Recarte started throwing after four months after the surgery, which started with him only a few throws at a time starting with 45 ft. and progressing more and more each week. He plans on continuing his career by next season with the help of his rehab he will be good by next spring season.

“My intentions are to be ready and healthy for the fall semester, so if I continue to stay on track, I should have no problem playing next spring season,” said Recarte.