Inside Jake Peavy's surgery

Bloom @ MLB:

Peavy is months ahead of schedule because of experimental surgery performed on his right shoulder by Dr. Anthony Romeo in Chicago this past July 14. Peavy completely ruptured the tendon that holds the latissimus dorsi muscle to the rear of the shoulder. The stitches and anchors now adhere the tendon to the bone.

Romeo said that despite the dramatic and violent motion of a pitcher placing constant stress on the shoulder, there was little risk of any further damage.

“There’s no risk of [the anchors] coming out of the bone,” Romeo said. “It can’t happen. They have a reverse barb on them, like a fish hook. Once they go into the bone, you can’t really pull them back out. They fill the bone, so there’s not a weak spot in the bone anymore. There’s no risk that even throwing a baseball is going to lead to a crack in the bone.”

Peavy is the first Major League pitcher to undergo this procedure, blazing the trail for others who will surely come after him. …

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