It's not 100 percent. Retired Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Todd Worrell is one player who needed follow-up surgery to remover excess scar tissue before he could return to the game. This scar tissue, especially near the ulna nerve, can derail a comeback. There are several other things that can go wrong in the operating room or during recovery. Sometimes the new ligament just isn't strong enough.
Bone spurs can also cause minor setbacks in the recovery process.
If a patient has a bone spur, a second, smaller surgery is required. Although this is a revolutionary surgery, it isn't magic. Woods has worked hard to get back to his team and is still not projected to pitch in a game until May. Chances are Smoltz will find the next year just as challenging. Jobe may have paved the road back to baseball for these injured players, but they must still endure the trip. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice.