Twelve months ago I received the news that all throwing athletes dread: I’ve torn my UCL and will need Tommy John surgery. Going into my senior year of college, this is the last thing that I wanted to hear. At this point, I have 11 months until my final season and a 12 month minimum recovery. Luckily, my training staff at Rutgers referred me to Dr. Ahmad and his team, and they were able to get me a consultation quickly. Dr. Ahmad suggested a new and unique surgery called Hybrid Tommy John Surgery, with a shortened recovery time and significantly more added strength to the elbow ligament. After a successful surgery, it was time to start recovery!

The recovery process went about as smooth as one could hope. Along with my training staff at Rutgers, we stuck to the plan provided by Dr. Ahmad and his team, resulting in a highly successful recovery. By 6 months post-op I was already stronger than I was before surgery, and I was ready to get back to throwing. For the next 5 months we worked through the throwing progression provided by Dr. Ahmad and his team, building back the throwing strength I need to compete. Finally, after 11 months of discipline and hard work, I was cleared to begin throwing competitively again. I cannot thank Dr. Ahmad and his team enough for getting me healthy and back on the javelin runway for my final collegiate season at Rutgers University.