I get this question a lot because it is a good question. It is amazing how many pitchers in today’s game are having surgery. It is a sign that the education of proper pitching mechanics, in the lower levels of the game, are very poor. Most young pitching injuries would not occur if these young pitchers only knew a few important pitching components that would prevent injury. The other problem is overuse but this issue alone could fill several articles.
The answer to the question is YES, you can pitch again. I speak from experience because I had rotator cuff surgery at 18 years old and doctors told me I would never pitch again and I did. I not only pitched again but I finished my college career and played professional baseball and topped out at 94mph. The key was not the surgery. The key was the determination to make the comeback.
The problem with surgery is most people think it is going to make you better. The reality is it is going to make you worse, way worse, before it makes you better. Depending on how major the surgery, most people do not make it back to sports at a young age because of the seriousness of the recovery. I had rotator cuff surgery, so it doesn’t get more serious than that, when it comes to a major surgery. I made it back to the game but it took 5 years to do it. The biggest lesson I learned and this is a lesson I try to teach my young pitchers who come to me from surgery, is that the mechanics that put you under the knife, will do it again, if you do not make changes.
Most pitchers who have no clue about the harsh reality of shoulder surgery is that just because the doctor fixed your arm, doesn’t mean it will not happen again. I have had friends who have had multiple shoulder surgeries from pitching because they never changed their pitching mechanics after the surgery. I did the same thing post surgery and my pain and poor performance continued to be a problem. Nothing changed until I decided to make a complete change. I decided to become an expert on pitching and recovery. It has been a long time sense this life changing event and I am still learning, but what I have learned this far has allowed me to play the game again and allowed me to spread the word to thousands of pitchers who were in need of some pre and post surgery education.
The lesson here is that hope and faith is important to your recovery but you will not see the light until you discover why your arm is taking so much abuse when you pitch. You will find your answers with a professional pitching analysis. I highly recommend TopVelocity.net for their pitching analysis and the first one is free. You can check out this services here for your pitching analysis. If you need a program that will help you make your comeback post surgery then you must checkout the program that I used to make my comeback. It is called the 3X Pitching Velocity Program and it is awesome!
