As most Yankees fans know by now, on July 30, 2008, Yankees catcher Jorge Posada had labrum surgery to address a tear in his subscapularis muscle. Missing Posada in 2008 cost the Yankees dearly. And, having Jorge return to action this season is critical towards the Yankees success in 2009. But, is it reasonable to expect Posada to return in 2009 and perform to his usual levels?

To address that question, I reached out to Professional Orthopaedic Associates and asked them if they could share an expected prognosis, in general, for a professional athlete in his late thirties who had the same type of surgery as Posada – where the athlete would be required to expose the repaired shoulder to repeated stress after the procedure.

Dr. Harry A. Bade, a Board Certified and Fellowship Trained Orthopaedic Surgeon with over 25 years of surgical experience specializing in the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injuries, rotator cuff repair, shoulder reconstruction, knee arthroscopy, hand fractures and tendon injuries, was kind enough to provide an answer. Dr. Bade’s reply was:

The prognosis depends on the size of the tear in his subscapularis tendon. Of the four rotator cuff muscles, the subscapularis is on the anterior (or deep) aspect of the shoulder blade. It is an important dynamic stabilizer of the shoulder and is also responsible for internal rotation of the humerus (upper arm bone). These actions are critical when it comes to the overhead throwing motion.

This injury is evaluated by an orthopaedic surgeon, first by physical examination and, if necessary, later by arthroscopic surgery. Arthoscopy allows the surgeon to directly view the tear and perform appropriate corrective surgery. This involves releasing the tendon and suturing it back to its insertion on the (lesser tuberosity) of the proximal humerus. This muscle, if well repaired, will heal and again function properly. Healing of the tendon to the bone should occur within 2 to 3 months of the surgery, but reconditioning of the muscle to improve both flexibility, strength and function will take many more months. A return to throw program usually begins 4-6 months after surgery. In most cases, the athlete may expect to return to repetitive throwing that is required of a professional baseball catcher.

While we do not know the size of the tear in Posada’s shoulder, we (hopefully) can assume that it was well repaired. Therefore, allowing time for healing and reconditioning, this information from Dr. Bade suggests that Jorge is right on schedule with his return to throw program which began last month.

This is great news for Posada, the Yankees, and their fans. And, of course, my thanks to Professional Orthopaedic Associates and Dr. Harry A. Bade for their assistance on this matter.