Baseball Injury Prevention: Why is Tommy John Surgery on the Rise? By Dr. John Mishock, PT, DPT, DC Fifty years ago, Tommy John, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, had a career-saving experimental elbow surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) by Dr. Frank Jobe. As of 2024, 36% of all […]
Growth-Plate Injuries of the Shoulder and Elbow in Baseball and Softball Players By Dr. John Mishock, PT, DPT, DC Are Growth-plate injuries common in youth and adolescent baseball and softball players? Growth-plate shoulder and elbow injuries are common in youth and adolescent baseball and softball players. The growth plate (epiphyseal plate or physis) is [...]
Baseball Pitching: What Causes a Baseball Pitcher to Throw Hard? By Dr. John Mishock, PT, DPT, DC In baseball, it is often said that the pitcher has a strong arm. However, this phrase is a misnomer. Research clearly shows that the arm musculature (hand, forearm, and arm) contributes only about 20-25% of throwing velocity. (Gretchen […]
Baseball and Softball Arm Injuries: How do I return to throwing? By Dr. John Mishock, PT, DPT, DC The success of the baseball pitcher requires not only high-level ability but also durability and prevention of injury. The baseball throwing motion has been described as one of the most violent and stressful motions in all [...]
Throwing Program Guideline: Return from Injury By Dr. John Mishock, PT, DPT, DC 1. Proper warm-up is essential. Perform the dynamic warm-up prior to throwing. 2. Perform 5 throws and holds prior to each set of throws. 3. After each set of throws, rest 3- 5 min. Perform shoulder stretches [...]
Baseball Arm Throwing Injuries: A possible solution? By Dr. John Mishock, PT, DPT, DC Overuse injuries in the shoulder and elbow are the most common problems in baseball players. Injuries of the shoulder account for 14-21%, whereas the elbow account for 16%-22% of all baseball-related injuries. (Agresta et al. Orthop J Sports Med, 2019, [...]
Throwing Program Guideline: Return from injury By Dr. John Mishock, PT, DPT, DC Dynamic warm-up: Perform the dynamic warm-up prior to throwing. Throw and holds: Hold the baseball and go through the throwing motion without releasing the ball (10 times). Rest-recovery: After each set of throws, rest 60-90 sec. (Perform [...]
Baseball Sports Performance and Injury Prevention: Interval Throwing Programing Following Arm Injury By Dr. John Mishock, PT, DPT, DC The baseball throwing motion has been described as one of the most violent and stressful motions in all sports. The arm experiences velocities greater than 9000 deg/s and distraction forces (arm bone pulling away from [...]
