The Dreaded Summer of Rehabilitation

“It’s a little worse than we anticipated,” he said. “We’re going to shut you down for a while.”

That’s when you go from optimistic to something similar to getting punched in the gut.

From experience, that’s when you throw away all the preconceived timetables you originally had when you could get back on the mound or in the batter’s box. 

Now it’s in somebody’s else’s hands. That person holds your short-term future in his hands. That person in the white coat may or may not have ever played baseball in his life but he is about to decide when you do. 

The most important thing, according to Steve Tria, owner of Team 13 Fitness, is to trust the professionals and not rush it.

“Take your time, because the only thing worse than Tommy John surgery is a second one,” he said.

With Tommy John surgery and other severe injuries occurring at an alarmingly high rate, it seems athletes are missing time more frequently than ever. Although the surgeries are advanced and provide a very real opportunity for the athlete to return at full strength, it is not something to be taken for granted.

“The worst thing an athlete can do is push the envelope and come back too early,” said Tria. “It’s very important to be positive and motivated throughout the rehab process and keep the end goal in sight, but everything we do is an assessment of risk vs reward.”

The topic is relevant with one of New York’s brightest stars; Matt Harvey. While fans and Harvey himself desperately want to re-live the dominance of his 2013 All Star campaign, Tria feels that is not a realistic possibility for 2014.

“In Harvey’s situation I would ask him if risking his rehab back months is worth the reward of peace of mind. It’s a serious conversation he needs to have with his medical/training/performance staff because we see all too often athletes who rush back from injury just ending up hurt again.

“They need to trust that the performance/medical staff have their best interests in mind and if the right relationship is there they will believe you and it helps a ton mentally.

As far as the prevention of serious injury is concerned, Tria provides some vital insight.

“Many of these ligament injuries can be attributed to weakness and imbalances, poor soft tissue quality, poor mechanics or overuse.”

From a personal standpoint, I can say my injuries were from overuse. At age-15 I threw 150 innings. It was short-sided, but I don’t regret going to the mound at all. When you are experiencing success, it is difficult to take a step back. Success breeds confidence and I was pretty confident after a 25-0 season in 2007.

The reality is that it caused a partially torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) and I was forced to spend my summer rehabbing. My season was cut short to 42 innings in 2008, and it saw a decrease in velocity by about 3 MPH. I worked hard that fall and went straight through to the 2009 season and didn’t take a break until October.

“Baseball players are notorious for never taking time off,” said Tria. “Some of my pitchers have gained the most velocity by taking 3-5 months off from throwing completely and working on these issues. Too often players work solely on perfecting their craft and not their bodies which ultimately is the tool used to do their job.”

One pitcher that put that theory to work was Tyler Badamo, who took the entire fall and winter off from throwing and reaped the benefits to the tune of an All-American season and a 24th round draft selection from the New York Mets.

Now, any player can suffer an injury at any given time but the focus of Tria’s program is to decrease the chances of suffering the type of “wear and tear” injuries that are occurring the athletes that don’t train properly. The program also specializes in athletes recovering from injuries.

When I asked if there is any truth to the rumor that pitchers can come back throwing harder from Tommy John, Tria set the record straight.

“It varies from person to person–some will never get back to full strength and others will come back better than before. If the injury was due to poor mechanics or a mobility restriction, then fixing these will result in increased velocity.”

That is certainly the silver lining in all this. Despite losing a year–one that could be especially disappointing if it is during junior or senior year of high school–the athlete could return as a more complete athlete featuring more velocity.

Plenty of pitchers have returned from the surgery and had successful careers. The biggest obstacle is often overcoming the feeling of apathy and detachment during the rehab process. It’s all part of the bigger picture.

So while your friends may be playing in tournament and experiencing success on the field, you need to think of it as setting the stage for your moment. With the right mentality and the completion of the rehab process, there is nothing separating you from prosperity on the field as well.