Length of time between surgery and return to sport after ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction in Major League Baseball pitchers does not predict need for revision surgery.
OBJECTIVE
Pitchers who return to sport (RTS) sooner will have a higher risk of revision ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR) than those who return later.


METHODS
All professional (major and minor league) baseball pitchers who underwent UCLR between 1974 and 2016 were identified. Date of the index UCLR was recorded. The date of the first game back at any professional level after surgery and the date the pitcher returned to the same level of play (if applicable) were recorded. Length of time between these dates was compared for pitchers who required a revision UCLR and those who did not.


RESULTS
Overall, 569 pitchers (average age, 24.8 ± 4.1 years) underwent UCLR and had reliable game logs after surgery. No statistically significant difference existed in the length of time to RTS at any professional level or at the same professional level between those pitchers who did not require a revision UCLR and those who did (P = .442, P = .238). Pitchers who required revision UCLR returned to any level of play almost 2 months earlier (14.7 vs. 16.5 months) and returned to the same level of play >2 months earlier (15.2 vs. 17.7 months) than matched controls who did not require revision UCLR, although this was not statistically significant (P = .179, P = .204).


CONCLUSIONS
No statistically significant difference existed in the length of time to RTS after UCLR in professional baseball players who required a revision UCLR and those who did not.
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: brandon.j.erickson@gmail.com.
Brandon J
BJ
Erickson
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Peter N
PN
Chalmers
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
Bernard R
BR
Bach
Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA.
Joshua S
JS
Dines
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
Nikhil N
NN
Verma
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
Charles A
CA
Bush-Joseph
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Rothman Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Steven B
SB
Cohen
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
Anthony A
AA
Romeo
D000328:Adult; D001484:Baseball / Q000293:injuries*; D000070637:Collateral Ligament, Ulnar / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012086:Reoperation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000068958:Return to Sport; D013997:Time Factors; D000070638:Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction; D055815:Young Adult
Major League Baseball (MLB); Tommy John; Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR); elbow; pitcher; return to sport (RTS); revision; surgery