In this Athletic Potential Podcast episode, a physical therapist answers a listener’s question about the most common baseball and softball injuries outside the shoulder and elbow, explaining that low back pain is a major issue (with hamstrings also common in baseball) and highlighting adolescent pars stress fractures caused by repetitive high-speed lumbar extension and rotation. The episode reviews basic lumbar motion limits to show why the low back is poorly suited for rotation, describes typical symptom progression, notes that imaging can help determine status, and outlines common management including activity restriction for roughly 2–5 months, with many returning to play (about 80%) though overall return may take 6–8 months. Prevention focuses on adequate seasonal downtime, a gradual ramp-up of volume and intensity, improved mechanics, and core control using planks, side planks, and bird dogs/dead bugs rather than crunches or sit-ups.

00:00 Welcome and Setup

01:17 Listener Question

01:53 Common Non Arm Injuries

02:38 Why Throwers Get Back Pain

03:33 Pars Defects Explained

07:49 Diagnosis Imaging and Timeline

11:18 Prevention Through Ramp Up

14:56 Skip Crunches Build Core

16:21 Plank Bird Dog Routine

21:17 Wrap Up and Next Steps

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This Athletic Potential Podcast episode answers two questions about recovery and injury. For a softball pitcher who isn’t recovering well, the host recommends prioritizing hydration and real food within 30–45 minutes post-outing, then maximizing sleep, using light movement like walking to promote blood flow, limiting passive sitting, avoiding post-game ice because it decreases blood flow, and being cautious with hot tubs due to dehydration risk (10 minutes max if used, then rehydrate). He suggests non-fatiguing electrical muscle stimulation for 45 minutes to two hours (e.g., Marc Pro or Compex recovery settings) to aid recovery, especially when time is short. For handling a shoulder injury, he emphasizes understanding how it happened and what structures are involved, maximizing blood flow (movement, heat if aching, e-stim), avoiding anti-inflammatories and RICE, keeping pain at 3/10 or less, then gradually reloading and field-testing until fully returned.

Marc Pro Promo Code: POTENTIAL

00:00 Healing And Recovery Intro

01:00 Listener Question Setup

02:43 Pitching Recovery Context

03:57 Hydration And Food First

05:52 Sleep And Phone Habits

06:54 Blood Flow Recovery Basics

08:42 Walks Hot Tubs And Rest

11:06 Why Ice Slows Healing

12:29 RICE Protocol Critique

14:47 Recovery Tech And E Stim

17:18 Compex Vs Mark Pro

18:26 Mark Pro vs Budget Units

18:58 Affiliate Code and Savings

19:52 Tournament Recovery Checklist

22:21 Switching to Injury Q&A

22:50 Injury Basics Blood Flow

23:59 Pain Rules and Movement

26:03 Inflammation Not Ibuprofen

27:38 Loading and Wolff Law

29:44 Progression and Field Tests

34:16 No RICE for Shoulders

35:46 Wrap Up and Submit Questions

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Have a question for the podcast? Go HERE to get it answered!!!

In this episode, we’re talking about one of the most common complaints we see in athletes of all ages — knee pain.

Whether it’s a baseball player dealing with pain during squats, a soccer player struggling after a hard season, or a young athlete trying to push through discomfort during growth spurts, knee pain can quickly limit performance and confidence.

At Athletic Potential, we don’t just treat the knee. We look at the entire system. Using a joint-by-joint approach, strength testing, movement analysis, and sport-specific loading, we work to understand why the knee is hurting in the first place. Often the issue isn’t the knee itself, but problems with the hip, ankle, strength, or how an athlete is managing workload.

In this episode, we’ll talk about the most common causes of knee pain in athletes, how we evaluate it, and the strategies we use to help athletes get back to training and competition stronger than before.

Let’s get into Episode 61 of the Athletic Potential Podcast.

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Have a question for the podcast? Go HERE to get it answered!!!