We’re excited to welcome Dr. Chris Ahmad, team doctor for the New York Yankees, to this week’s podcast. Dr. Ahmad goes into great detail on the throwing elbow with respect to anatomy, diagnostic challenges, surgical complexities, non-operative strategies, and biological interventions. He also touches on important lessons for players, parents, and coaches who want to avoid youth baseball injuries.

A special thanks to this show’s sponsor, Athletic Greens. Head to https://www.athleticgreens.com/cressey and you’ll receive a free 10-pack of Athletic Greens travel packets with your first order.

Show Outline

• What makes the anatomy and function of the elbow so complex, specifically in throwing athletes
• What the biggest mistakes are both surgically and diagnostically with respect to the elbow
• Why injuries of the elbow aren’t as binary as partial and full tears and how professionals can better evaluate and understand the health of elbows in throwing populations
• How UCL calcification and injury at a young age impacts the health of baseball players as they grow and advance in their career
• What makes a Tommy John surgery successful from a surgical perspective
• How Tommy John surgery has evolved since it was first performed in 1974
• What the clinical implications are for Dr. Ahmad to perform an ulnar nerve transposition during UCL reconstruction surgery
• What variables surgeons must consider when deciding where to take a tendon graft from for UCL reconstruction
• How Dr. Ahmad manipulates grafts to ensure an elbow is strong and sturdy for his patients post-surgery
• What key things Ahmad discusses with his patients as they begin their road to recovery post-surgery
• What key benchmarks Dr. Ahmad looks for patients to progress to through the Tommy John rehab process
• Why there isn’t a true standard timeline for athletes to return to performing in games after UCL reconstruction
• Why Dr. Ahmad is an advocate for biological interventions such as PRP injections and the use of stem cells to manage elbow injuries, and what benefits these methodologies offer beyond throwing injuries
• Where the future of biological treatments is headed, and what the drawbacks and dangers of using these powerful methods can be
• Where Dr. Ahmad sees the need for more research to be done in the prevention, reconstruction, rehabilitation, and recovery of arm injuries
• Why Dr. Ahmad has worked to create a registry with Major League Baseball to collect data on injured professional ball players and how this resource will be used to find answers to questions in the field without setting up a formal study

You can follow Dr. Ahmad on Twitter at @DrChrisAhmad and on Instagram at @DrChrisAhmad. And, you can learn more about him at www.DrAhmadSportsMedicine.com. Definitely check out his books:

Baseball Sports Medicine

Skill

Understanding Tommy John Surgery

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