Rehab for Tommy John

Anytime someone utters the words "rehab" or "physical therapy" it makes me cringe.  I think anyone who has had an injury would say the same because, quite frankly, it is not fun.  When I think of rehab I immediately think of hot packs, stim, weights, bands, trampolines, and, of course, ice.  Rehab is obviously essential to recover but it is by far the worst part of transitioning back to competition.  It seems as though it is never going to end.  For the first three months physical therapy is very repetitive and it is tough because you do not see as much progression as you would think.  After three months the throwing program begins at 45 feet.  It is discouraging if you think about how you used to be able to throw and now 45 feet seems like 300 feet and hitting your partner in the chest is almost impossible.

For most people the physical aspect of rehab is the easiest.  The battle that most people including myself have is the mental rehab.  It has been the biggest test I have ever had in my life.  A couple of my teammates have had 11 surgeries between the two of them and they tried to warn me but nothing can prepare you for your experience.  It took me 8 months to finally allow myself to really let it go when I threw.  There was always that reservation in the back of my mind because I had flashbacks of the day and pain when I tore my UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament).  I still have dreams about throwing in games before surgery.  I hated sitting out during drills but I had to realize that there were limitations to what I could do in the weight room and during practice.  Some days it was tough to look in the mirror but I learned a lot about myself and I may never be the same pitcher that I was before but surgery was the best decision I ever made in the sense of how I grew as a person.