A.J. Russell to Have Tommy John Surgery

[TheBigOne10]

I don't think he was implying negligence, but you sure did.

I’m literally defending (in confidence that they care about our guys health first and foremost) our staff against that possibility? There are more variables with the nature of these elbow injuries than we will ever know…..WTF. Like Preacher alluded to, I took some of the comments as the coaches could/should have handled this differently. That’s a bold take.

 

[Bigvalley84]

I’d bet the keys to my house AJ , his family and the entire UT staff Dr’s included were all in agreement with his therapy and throwing program regime , I’d say AJ wanted to avoid surgery as well as get back on the mound , hopefully he has a successful surgery and speedy recovery and gets back on that mound soon , good luck AJ

 

[cncchris33]

The original issue was an armpit/oblique issue though. It might have been a precursor to this that was “missed” but the elbow didn’t appear to be an issue until the SECG outing.

That's an interesting point because I didn't think the original issue was elbow related, but I just assumed I was misremembering the earlier problem. I wonder if trying to overcompensate for that side issue led to him tweaking his delivery in a manner that caused the elbow injury?

 

[cncchris33]

Agree: One wonders why they didn't reach the surgery conclusion 3 months ago. They apparently thought that he could somehow rehab the torn UCL.

As AthensVol said, if the original issue wasn't the elbow (directly), it's hard to think they could envision it leading to a UCL injury. Just bad all around, both for AJR and for Tennessee. Hate it for him.

 

[AllThingsTN]

Agree: One wonders why they didn't reach the surgery conclusion 3 months ago. They apparently thought that he could somehow rehab the torn UCL.

Yeah that make sense…Tony, Frank, AJ and his parents, the trainer, etc thought he could rehab a torn UCL. Come on man..

 

[AthensVol2007]

That's an interesting point because I didn't think the original issue was elbow related, but I just assumed I was misremembering the earlier problem. I wonder if trying to overcompensate for that side issue led to him tweaking his delivery in a manner that caused the elbow injury?

Good point and very possible. Ive had some knee pain for over a year from running and about the time we think it’s a weak quad or hamstring issue, my calf or glutes tighten up. Work that out the ankle and foot hurts. Just always something overcompensating for whatever the issue is.

 

[etmVol]

Yeah that make sense…Tony, Frank, AJ and his parents, the trainer, etc thought he could rehab a torn UCL. Come on man..

More believable than you would think. I tore mine the summer before freshman year of high school. It was misdiagnosed, but was able to play 8 years before having TJ (including my final season with a full rupture of the UCL). If you play baseball at a high level, you have UCL damage, it's just a question of the severity. Some tears can be rehabbed, and that is certainly preferable to having TJ, but there is no way of knowing until you rest and do the rehab. As someone with a large elbow scar, I had a feeling this would be the end result, but it was worth seeing if it could be avoided.

 

[lukeneyland]

Unpopular opinion: I think Hoover was the last time we’ll see AJ pitch in a Tennessee uniform. I think he’s shown enough that a team will take him somewhat early (2-3 round or so) next year and he’ll be gone. He’s already had TJ by that point, he’ll want to take the money while he can.

He’s a good pitcher I hope that happens. He’s got a lot of upside IMO

 

[taylorvol]

Here‘s hoping that AJ has a quick and successful recovery.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Some slightly good news. Looks like there is a chance Russell could be back by SEC play if the recovery time is only 8 months.

 

[BillyHoyleVol]

More believable than you would think. I tore mine the summer before freshman year of high school. It was misdiagnosed, but was able to play 8 years before having TJ (including my final season with a full rupture of the UCL). If you play baseball at a high level, you have UCL damage, it's just a question of the severity. Some tears can be rehabbed, and that is certainly preferable to having TJ, but there is no way of knowing until you rest and do the rehab. As someone with a large elbow scar, I had a feeling this would be the end result, but it was worth seeing if it could be avoided.

Same. I thought it was cool to throw hard and spin the heck out of the ball when I was young...never properly warming up. By the time I was done at 17-18 years old, I could barely return the ball to the pitcher in later innings. Just throwing from behind the plate to the mound was torture. I never got it fixed and still have issues. If I overuse my arm, I struggle to lift a milk jug and pour it in a glass.

 

[spyfish007]

Some slightly good news. Looks like there is a chance Russell could be back by SEC play if the recovery time is only 8 months.

I wonder why the estimate is lower? Something in the surgery go better than expected? Did the surgeon get to avoid doing something?

 

[mattdingus2002]

I wonder why the estimate is lower? Something in the surgery go better than expected? Did the surgeon get to avoid doing something?

Maybe not full reconstruction once he went under the n ife

 

[Jxn Vol]

I wonder why the estimate is lower? Something in the surgery go better than expected? Did the surgeon get to avoid doing something?

He may have had a ucl repair vs the reconstruction surgery. 6-8 month recovery with the repair.

 

[MEDVOL]

Tommy John has made some strides over the past few years. Look up Arthrex Internal Brace. Also, in regards to rehab vs surgery out the gate, speculate MRI probably didn't show a full tear in the beginning. Could have been partial and/or related to the tear location. Which is also consistent with his shorter recovery from surgery that is being predicted.

 

[BreatheUT]

My dear departed brother once lost all his hair to chemotherapy and had to have what he called Elton John surgery to restore his locks:

View attachment 647706

He had a great sense of humor and always laughed at this comparison.
I miss him dearly.

You and witch doctor on the same board would've been epic.