Tommy John Surgery: How One Procedure Changed Baseball Forever

Tommy John surgery has revolutionized baseball over the past five decades, fundamentally altering how players recover from arm injuries and extending careers that might otherwise have ended. The groundbreaking procedure, named after the pitcher who first underwent it in 1974, has become standard orthopedic practice across professional baseball. What was once a career-ending injury is now a pathway to comeback, allowing athletes to return to competition at elite levels.

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