For high school baseball players with dreams of competing at the next level, an injury can feel like the end of the road. For Owen Johnson, a standout pitcher from Clemmons, North Carolina entering a critical junior-year recruiting period, a painful elbow injury threatened to derail everything he had worked toward.
While pitching during the spring of his junior season, Owen Johnson suffered a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his elbow. It’s an injury commonly seen in throwing athletes.
After seeking care from Dr. Brian Waterman, an orthopaedic sports medicine specialist at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, the initial hope was the injury could heal without surgery.
“At first, the tear appeared minor enough that we believed rest and physical therapy would allow him to recover,” Waterman said. “Unfortunately, when he returned to throwing, it became clear the ligament had not healed sufficiently to withstand the demands of competitive pitching.”
With college coaches actively scouting him, the timing could not have been worse. Rather than continuing to struggle with the injury, Johnson and Waterman decided to move forward with a UCL repair, with an internal brace in July 2025.
For appropriately selected patients, the procedure may allow a faster return to play than traditional UCL reconstruction, often called Tommy John surgery.
“Owen was an excellent candidate for a UCL repair with internal brace augmentation,” Waterman said. “He was committed to the rehabilitation process from day one, and that dedication played a major role in the outstanding outcome he achieved.”
Following surgery, Johnson began rehabilitation with physical therapy at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. He credits both Waterman and Marisa, his physical therapist, for helping him understand every step of the recovery journey.
“They were super helpful with the recovery timeline and everything that went into it,” Owen said. “Physical therapy never felt like a chore because she made it a really positive experience.”
The hard work paid off.
By January, just six months after surgery, he was back on the mound. Even more remarkably, when he returned to throwing at full intensity, his fastball quickly surpassed what it had been before the injury.
“I was surprised by how quickly I felt strong again,” Johnson said. “When I got back to pitching, I was throwing harder than I had before surgery.”
Johnson returned in time for his senior season and delivered the best baseball of his career. He earned both pitcher of the year and player of the year honors in his conference, awards typically given to different athletes, and was named to the all-state team.
His success also reignited college recruiting opportunities. A program that had expressed interest before his injury ultimately offered him the chance to play at the next level.
This fall, he will begin his collegiate baseball career at Wingate University, a testament to resilience, expert care and perseverance through adversity.
“What Owen accomplished is remarkable,” Waterman said. “His story shows what is possible when advanced orthopaedic care, dedicated rehabilitation and a motivated athlete come together with a common goal.”
