Longtime readers of this blog know that I am obsessed with technical and anatomical precision – and in many cases, the message can be lost upon your average reader. However, I try to summarize all of my jargon into an immediately understandable conclusion at the end of long articles like Elbow Injuries and What Causes Them. One of my clients brought up the fact that I don’t have a very basic article on elbow injuries and wrist weights on our site, and that I should rectify this problem as soon as possible. He’s a huge believer in wrist weights (and so are we), and he had a very, very good layman’s way of explaining how elbow injuries (notably UCL tears) occur. It impressed me so much that I’m going to absolutely plagiarize, steal, and copy it for everyone’s enjoyment here on the blog. Please note that this article has some inconsistencies and not iron-clad language – but it is meant for you to send to your pitching coach, friends, and other people who won’t immediately turn their brains off due to complex language. So, without further ado… A Basic Understanding of How Pitchers Hurt Their Elbows The primary reason pitchers require Tommy John Surgery (TJS) is because the elbow joint is constantly being dislocated in the pitching delivery. The Tommy John ligament ties the lower arm and upper arm together, and when the lower arm is pushed away from the upper arm due to mechanical flaws, this stresses the ligament. Over time, this causes the ligament to stretch out and lose strength, and can eventually cause the ligament to rupture. Imagine that the ligament is the chain between a pair of nunchucks: Except also imagine [...]
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