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Combat’s Brown and McGraw on injury and recovery
By
Scott Brown
Hello again readers
of Let’s Play Softball, this is Scott Brown bringing you another article
from the world of Combat slowpitch. This week I am
bringing to you the injury and recovery process of Johnny McCraw
from Team Combat.
As the 2006 World
Softball League Home Run Champion and with a Major No. 5 Batting Average of
.782, Jmac, as we call him, is no lightweight in the
field. In 2007, Jmac was No. 3 Conference USSSA OBA
Leader (.803) and No. 8 Conference USSSA HR FRQ Leader and an injury to a
player at this level is common and something of interest to many.
A common injury for
softball players is a rotator cuff injury or tear, and Johnny tore his right
rotator cuff and also tore his left while playing in the 2007 season for Team
Combat. In this article, Johnny talks about his rigorous rehabilitation process
that he had to endure after surgery.
As most of you know
Johnny is a player of high skill and success, so getting back to playing the
game he loves as quickly as possible has been his main focus. He is an
inspiration with his strength and determination to fellow Team Combat players
and to other players with the same injury.
Johnny McCraw - In all sports, injuries
occur everyday and they happen to even the best players, but it is part of the
game we all love. This past year, I tore
my left rotator cuff swinging and tore the right one throwing, both requiring
major reconstructive surgery to repair.
The surgeon who
performed the repair is the orthopedic surgeon for the
In October 2007, I
had surgery on the left shoulder and according to the surgeon, it was the worst
rotator cuff repair he had encountered in his career and would require a
minimum of eight months to recover. Five months later, in March 2008 while
still recovering from my left rotator cuff surgery, I had surgery on the right
shoulder, which would require a minimum of three months of recovery, as surgery
on the right shoulder was not as extensive.
The rehabilitation
process for both shoulders has been very lengthy and intensive and for the
first six weeks after my first surgery, I wore an “L” shaped sling prior to
rehabilitation to keep the tendons from retracting due to the complexity of the
surgery.
For the second
surgery, I was able to begin rehab one week after surgery. My rehabilitation
consisted of three visits a week to my physiotherapist, each session lasting
approximately two hours, which was very intense. The rehabilitation process was
very grueling and painful and even today I am dealing with a lot of discomfort.
I love the sport and
have worked hard to get back to the game, but I have been told that my
shoulders will never get back to 100 percent and that due to the torque in my
swing, that I would eventually tear my shoulders again. This is not very
comforting for someone who plays as hard as I do, and wants to continue
playing, but I have really pushed myself through therapy in an attempt to get
back playing for Team Combat as soon as possible.
After going through
this intensive surgery and rehabilitation process, I can tell you it takes a
lot of heart and determination, and nothing is worse than trying to play hurt
or to come back from an injury too soon. I know because I came back early and reinjured my right shoulder in early June, so my advice is
to always give yourself time to completely heal and strengthen an injury before
playing another game. So, back to rehab it is for me. This experience has
taught me many things and at the top of the list is to be persistent and keep
your focus on the game!
As a teammate, I can
sympathize and learn from Johnny’s experience with his injury and the recovery
process. His experience is a great story of determination and love for the
game. Our game is one filled with highs and lows, and it is our ability to overcome
such obstacles that help us to further our careers and get better at the game
we all love.
All the best to
Johnny in his recovery, and I look forward to having you back with Team Combat.