Local Doctor Remembers Tommy John and the Historic Comeback that Changed Sports Medicine
- Former Major League Baseball pitcher Tommy John, namesake of a revolutionary ligament-replacement surgery, died on August 15 at age 83. His 288-win career became secondary to the medical procedure that transformed sports medicine.
- In 1974, orthopedist Dr. Frank Jobe performed the first surgery on John, replacing a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. This pioneering operation allowed John to return to Major League Baseball and win more games post-surgery than before.
- Dr. Jeffrey Dugas of Andrews Sports Medicine reports the procedure now has a 99% return-to-throwing rate and is performed thousands of times yearly. Athletes ranging from middle schoolers to Major League Baseball professionals now undergo the surgery.
- Beyond the medical procedure, John spent decades protecting young athletes as an advocate for arm health. Dugas said John will be remembered as "a groundbreaking athlete, an advocate for arm health and a true gentleman."
- Recovery timelines have dramatically improved since the 1970s and 80s, when athletes spent about 18 months rehabilitating. Today, professional athletes often return to competition in roughly a year, reflecting decades of surgical refinement.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Local doctor remembers Tommy John and the historic comeback that changed sports medicine
Tommy John’s groundbreaking elbow surgery didn’t just save his baseball career. It changed sports medicine forever. A local doctor explains how his comeback opened the door for thousands of athletes and why John’s legacy goes far beyond the procedure bearing his name.
Thank you, Tommy John: MLB pitching careers saved by the groundbreaking surgery
Tommy John revolutionized baseball by undergoing pioneering elbow ligament surgery that saved countless pitching careers and transformed sports medicine. His legacy includes the eponymous procedure that allows elite pitchers like John Smoltz and Justin Verlander to regain dominance after injury.
Tommy John, the reliable left-handed major league pitcher who won 288 games over 26 seasons and whose name became synonymous with a medical procedure that has saved the careers of countless pitchers, passed away on Saturday at age 83. The death occurred at his home in Florida. John, born on May 22, 1943 in Terre Haute, Indiana, debuted in the Majors with Cleveland in 1963 and made his last release with the New York Yankees in 1989, at age 46. He…
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