[Sports\biographies]To Ohtani’s surgeon, a 103 mph fastball was a red flag, but his $700M deal shows trust in TJ surgery

[NERO ™]

 

CHICAGO (AP) — There is no one like Shohei Ohtani in the major leagues. Just last year, the two-way star took the mound and reached 103.5 mph during spring training with the Los Angeles Angels.

It was an incredible display by Ohtani after Tommy John surgery. For the surgeon who performed the 2018 procedure, who heard about the impressive session through the Angels’ staff, it was a bit alarming.

“Everybody was ecstatic,” said Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the head team physician for the Dodgers. “I was maybe the only one concerned because a jump in velocity, especially after a Tommy John operation, over the course of two to three years to that magnitude is exponentially more strain and stress on the ligament.”

ElAttrache’s concern proved prophetic, and he operated on Ohtani’s elbow again in September — this one an enhanced version of Tommy John surgery. With the 50th anniversary of the first Tommy John procedure approaching in September, ElAttrache and Ohtani are at the center of what might be the operation’s most compelling case study.
The Dodgers are betting on a successful conclusion, too. They handed a record $700 million contract to the 29-year-old Ohtani in free agency in December.
 
source :https://apnews.com/article/ohtani-dodgers-elattrache-9a87de3cf0ea31d1bb78420d6b505cc7