Senior Brett Nowick had Tommy John surgery after an elbow injury last year. The complicated surgery is increasingly common among high school athletes.
The intense elbow surgery is increasingly common
November 11, 2019
Senior pitcher Breck Nowik’s nightmare started last year when he felt tightness in his forearm.
“It then crept up to my elbow where that eventually became numb and “on fire” when pitching,” he said.
After a week of pain, Nowik decided to see a doctor.
At first, he went to a general orthopedic physician to get an MRI and a general diagnosis of the injury. From there, he went on to get a second opinion from a similar doctor.
The diagnosis was the same: He would need dreaded Tommy John surgery to repair a partially torn UCL.
Tommy John surgery is the layman’s reference to ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction. John was a MLB pitcher for 26 seasons, and was the first player to undergo this surgery. It was successful and allowed for him to return as an effective pitcher after his surgery.
The UCL connects the upper-arm bone called the humerus to the ulna, which is the main bone in the forearm. The ligament is crucial to the stability of the elbow joint. Simply stated, without a functional UCL, one’s arm is unusable.
Upon the UCL tearing, many players hear an audible “pop”. Alternatively, the injury can manifest itself slowly over time. Ahead of the tear, it is very likely that a player will feel pain in the elbow region. Signs of a torn or ruptured UCL include, swelling around the elbow, bruising, inability to move the arm, and a weak grip.
There are many causes of a UCL injury. The most common, however, is the stress caused by a repeated throwing motion. Throwing can cause the fibers in the UCL to deteriorate and stretch, which makes the ligaments more susceptible to significant damage. Unfortunately, injuries of the UCL tendon are becoming more and more common in teenagers who play baseball. These post-little league players are playing more games than they have in the past, and their seasons are longer. As a result, the stress forced upon their arms is amplified.
Since 2015, 25% of all MLB pitchers have undergone some form of Tommy John surgery. According to some studies, athletes ages 15 to 19 account for 57 percent of Tommy John surgeries.
“I’ve seen an increase of injuries in high schoolers that specialize in one sport,” says Bart Castillo, one of the trainers here at LFHS “High schoolers should not be playing one sport all year round.”
Playing one sport all year round can cause too much stress on one part of the body, especially the repetition of throwing a baseball. Pitchers may throw upwards of 80 pitches in one game, doing this all year round is simply not safe for one’s arm.
Ignoring any type of injury, especially arm injuries can be very dangerous. If it’s not treated properly, an injury can only become worse, says Varsity Baseball Head Coach Ray Del Fava.
“Proper throwing techniques and stretching are very important,” he said. “ And if one is hurt, it’s important that there is honest communication between the player and a coach.”
Young players are more vulnerable to throwing injuries, due to their growth plates around the elbow still being open. When a person is still growing, an area of the cartilage in the elbow is left open. This space is where new bone is generated. The softness of cartilage and the open space cause these growth plates to be more inclined toward injury.
After his diagnosis, Nowik went to the Milwaukee Brewers team doctor up in Wisconsin.
“The surgery was in the morning,” he explained. “The hospital was an hour away, and I had to be there an hour before the surgery.” Due to the surgery being a straightforward reconstruction, the procedure took only an hour.
Following the surgery, Breck had to wear a brace that restricted his arm movement. He was not able to bend his affected arm past a 45 degree angle. Just a couple weeks ago, he was able to take the brace off and is now able to move the arm with some restrictions.
One month after the surgery, Nowik does physical therapy to work his way toward throwing again. Three months after the surgery, he will be able to start a throwing program and eventually one month after his first throw, he will start hitting again. The senior will be back in time to play shortstop for this upcoming season and try to lead the team deep into the playoffs yet again this season.
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