What is Tommy John Surgery?

10. New Advances

Dr. Jeff Dugas is a top orthopedic surgeon who has performed thousands of UCL reconstruction surgeries. He recognized that many of the ligaments he replaced weren't damaged and were, in fact, repairable. He began experimenting with high-grade medical tape to repair the damaged ligament. His first successful repair was done in 2013 and advances have taken off from there. Dugas developed a new procedure called ulnar collateral ligament repair. He also invented the Internal Brace Ligament Augmentation system to fix the damaged part of the ligament. This alternative surgery is less invasive and the recovery time is half that of a total replacement. Dugas has completed several successful repairs. The procedure has gained attention from professional sports, but requires more research before the major leagues begin widely considering it as an alternative to Tommy John surgery.