Return to Pitching Program

As a former pitcher who grew up with a father and brother who have both suffered from chronic shoulder and elbow issues affecting their ability to throw, I have strong understanding of the importance of a comprehensive and complete rehabilitation program. One thing I remember in regards to their own injuries, but also what I was told about preventing my own injuries, was that it was all about the shoulder. All everyone talked about is how important as a pitcher it is to do a million rotator cuff and scapular strengthening exercises. Making the vulnerable tissue(s) stronger through strengthening exercises. Makes sense right?

It was not until my 3^rd year of PT school at the University of Southern California during our advanced orthopedic classes that I finally learned how wrong that advice was. I learned how over 50% of all the kinetic energy used to throw a baseball is generated in the legs, and a loss of this energy requires a disproportional increase in either muscle mass or velocity produced that the shoulder. I learned that many throwers with labral tears in their shoulder FAILED single leg stability testing. There is so much more to pitching than just a shoulder. That is why I created the “Return to Pitching Program”.

90-minute Full-Body Evaluation

• • Full assessment of the upper extremity to determine the source of your elbow and/or shoulder pain

  • Full assessment of lower extremity range of motion, strength, speed and power, and balance to find any weak links that could be contributing to future injury risk

  • Full assessment of trunk mobility and power to ensure optimal transmission of kinetic energy from the legs into the shoulder and arm

  • An individualized treatment program will be designed and implemented on Day 1

Individualized, Progressive, 4-Phase Rehabilitation Program

• • Phase 1: Pain Management

    • Dr. Kirbach will help teach you strategies to modulate and manage your pain at home to get you out of pain and moving better as quickly as possible

  • Phase 2: Movement Retraining

    • Once we have addressed any significant pain and mobility issues we will work with you on addressing any faulty movement patterns or movement control issues in order to build a strong foundation

  • Phase 3: Resiliency

    • The focus of this phase is to reduce the chances of this ever happening again in the future

  • Phase 4: Return to Sport

    • During this final phase the return to throwing program is introduced and exercises are designed in a sport-specific manner that incorporates the whole body

Coordination with pitching coaches, team coaches, personal trainers

• • Dr. Kirbach goes the extra mile to collaborate and coordinate with all parties involved in the success of your pitching career

Individualized, Custom Programming

• • You will work 1-on-1 with Dr. Kirbach, who understands the unique demands pitching places on the human body

BONUS Features:

• Two-view slow-motion video analysis of your pitching mechanics broken down by phase that will include detailed descriptions of abnormal movement patterns and potential consequences backed up by the latest research.

• Progressive criteria-based return to throwing program that is easy to follow and complete all on your own!

• Unlimited email support and weekly phone calls (optional) to review progress and answer any specific questions