What Is Tommy John Surgery. It s hard to overstate the impact john and jobe have had on the game. The ucl is an important ligament inside of the elbow that works to stabilize the joint.
It is a procedure that is done to repair a damaged ligament in the elbow called the ulnar collateral ligament some use the term medial collateral ligament. Without it we might never have heard the name jacob degrom who underwent tj as it s now colloquially called in 2010 while in. Some people typically athletes who play throwing sports may experience ucl tears that may need surgical repair.
Tommy john surgery more formally known as ulnar collateral ligament ucl reconstruction is used to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament inside the elbow.
It s most commonly done on college and pro athletes especially baseball pitchers. Tommy john surgery is another term for ulnar collateral ligament ucl reconstruction. But to most americans the words tommy john mean something different. The ucl is an important ligament inside of the elbow that works to stabilize the joint.