Tommy John Surgery Thesis

Topic: Tommy John Surgery (UCL Reconstruction Surgery)
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about what happens during the Tommy John Surgery, how the rehab is done, and how to easily prevent having UCL damage.
Thesis Statement: Today, I will tell you how Tommy John Surgery is performed, how strenuous the rehab is, where it originated, and how to prevent it.
Introduction:
A. (Attention): Have you ever heard about sports players having Tommy John Surgery?
B. (Relevance): This surgery is becoming more prevalent by the year and more and more athletes keep getting hurt.
C. (Credibility): I am currently a baseball player at Mt. Juliet High School and I had a teammate recently have this surgery, so I understand what he has gone through and how
II. The Procedure
A. According to Baseball-Reference.com, “Tommy John surgery, more properly known as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (or UCL), is a surgical operation in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body (often from the forearm, hamstring, or foot of the patient).”
B. To go in-depth, UCL Reconstruction or Tommy John Surgery is where a surgeon uses a tendon graft to replace the UCL, which is located is on the inside of the persons elbow. The tendon graft is used to replace the damaged or tore tendon in the elbow, usually coming from another part of the body where it is not necessary for movement. The graft is then positioned to where it is drilled through the Ulna and Humerus. The most common graft that is used is called the Palmaris graft, in which they remove the tendon located in the wrist. Even though this is the most commonly used, many people are born without this tendon. Other graft options include use of a hamstring, toe extensor, or donor tendon (allograft). When the graft is put all the way through the Ulna and Humerus, it is finally attached to the