This video, hosted by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Anthony A. Romeo, provides a comprehensive, step-by-step look at the entire surgical experience for a latissimus dorsi and teres major repair, a common injury among baseball pitchers and high-performance athletes.

The video is structured sequentially to follow the patient's entire medical journey:

• Pre-Operative Consultation: The video opens with Dr. Romeo talking to a baseball pitcher who sustained a lat tear while throwing. The doctor conducts a physical assessment, testing the patient's range of motion and muscle strength while explaining how lat injuries typically happen during the deceleration phase of a throw.
• Anesthesia & Nerve Block: The anesthesiologist performs an ultrasound-guided nerve block to numb the shoulder and brachial plexus before surgery.
• MRI Review: Dr. Romeo analyzes the patient's MRI scans, demonstrating how the torn tendon detached from the humerus and detailing the clinical classifications used to determine when surgery is necessary.
• Surgical Setup & Incision: The surgical team secures the patient's arm in a specialized holder to internally rotate it and optimize exposure. Dr. Romeo maps out the incision line just outside the rear aspect of the armpit.
• The Surgery (Dissection and Repair): The video transitions into the operating room, showing the dissection through the fascial planes to locate the retracted, torn tendon. Dr. Romeo meticulously avoids major neurovascular structures like the radial and axillary nerves. He prepares the bone surface on the humerus and inserts three specialized anchors to pull and lock the tendon securely back down to the bone using a tension-slide stitching technique.
• Post-Operative Range of Motion & Closing: After completing the repair, Dr. Romeo takes the arm through its range of motion to ensure there is no gapping. The layers are stitched back together, and the incision is sealed with surgical glue, strips, and a semi-permeable antimicrobial dressing.
• Recovery Timeline: The video concludes with a detailed discussion of the post-operative rehabilitation protocol, outlining the progression from wearing a sling for four weeks, starting light exercises, initiating a throwing program at around four to six months, and mapping out the 12-to-15-month timeline for an athlete to fully return to their peak performance level.