So at week 12 it was time to start throwing.  Because I was pain free and swelling free I was given the go-ahead.

That first throw was pretty scary, but I knew I was ready for it, and it went fine.  It felt just like it used to. I started out at 30 feet, progressing to 40 feet x 60 throws by the month’s end.  Month two moved me back to 50 feet, and month three to 60. Midway through month three, however, I switched to a different throwing program because I was progressing faster than my throwing program would allow.  

I talked earlier about falling on my arm when I was running and how important that was in trusting my arm.  The first day I let a ball go on a line was another such moment.  After every single throw was on a soft arc, letting one go on a line was one of the first tests of my new ligaments.  I can remember that first throw, and how liberated I felt when I did it without pain.  I only uncorked a few of these per session, but they always provided me with a release from the tension of wondering if my elbow was really strong enough to get me back to where I once was.  

In the middle of my third throwing month I jumped into Dr. Andrews’ throwing program, which my training staff had a copy of from a previous TJ patient.  It called to move up in distance and in throwing volume every time a stage was completed twice without discomfort.  On this program, one can move as fast as his arm is able, and if he has pain, he just backs off and slows down.  I moved through this program without a hitch until a month into the mound phase.

I started having some slight pain in my forearm once I was throwing about 3/4 speed from the mound.  It was only initiated through pressure on my fingertips, however, and not really with throwing, which assured me that it wasn’t a ligament problem, and was probably just one of those minor complications that accompany the surgery.  It only slowed me for a few days, and it later subsided.  My doctor told me it wasn’t something that I need to worry about, since I stopped having pain with it while throwing.  

I threw some long toss days in with the program, as long toss always helped my arm feel good and it keeps me in good mechanical timing.  The thing I realized most was that the throwing program was just a guide for incremental progression. Progressing continually was the key, and whatever I wanted to do was fine as long as it stayed within the confines of moving up in small steps.  Long tossing to 300 feet one workout after only long tossing to 240 feet before would not be OK, because that’s a big jump in the throwing load.  But from 240 to 270 is a better choice, and one after which your arm won’t hate your guts.  

You'll get there, one at a time

I wish I had a copy of the throwing program to post, but I don’t.  At first, I wanted to adhere to it 100%, and any deviation from it made me feel afraid that I might hurt myself.  But the farther I got in my rehab the more I learned that my arm would tell me what it could and could not handle, and that just moving progressively but prudently was what really mattered.

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