Dr. Anthony Romeo, sports medicine physician at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush and performing surgeon to Jack Peavy recently expressed his pleasure with the White Sox pitcher's progress. Dr. Romeo considers Peavy's surgery to be an absolute success. Now at 30 years of age, Jake "had less than a 50 percent chance of returning to an elite level of pitching without the surgery." Dr. Romeo highlights that "Jake's ability to pitch long-term is no longer related to the latissimus tendon" and feels it is not a factor for him at this time.

An article, recently published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine theorized that pitchers can return to play, though with varying results, through non-operative therapy. While opinions are mixed, Dr. Romeo says, "When you look at the diagnosis that Jake had, which was a complete avulsion or tearing, only 50 percent of the patients analyzed in the study were able to get back to pitching, and there was no clear evidence of what they were able to achieve," he said. "If it's just a strain to the muscle, you can treat that without surgery. But to get them back to their full potential, it would suggest that the surgical repair is the right way to go."

To read more on White Sox Pitcher Jake Peavy and Dr. Anthony Romeo visit: mlb.com