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Ever wondered why so many young pitchers are suffering devastating elbow injuries? Dr. Kevin McGovern pulls back the curtain on the rehabilitation process with a fascinating real-time coaching session featuring 15-year-old Aiden, who's battling back from multiple elbow injuries.

The episode reveals a revolutionary approach to arm care that challenges conventional wisdom. Rather than extended rest periods, we witness the power of daily throwing practice—with either baseballs or towels—combined with unconventional methods like basketball shooting to maintain elbow extension. Dr. McGovern methodically breaks down what he calls the "Tommy John formula"—three critical mechanical flaws destroying young pitchers' arms: drifting forward too early, dragging the back leg, and improper glove-hand technique.

Through Aiden's transformation, viewers gain practical insights into proper mechanics that not only prevent injury but enhance performance. By maintaining weight back longer and releasing closer to home plate, pitchers create what baseball insiders call a "heavy ball" effect—making an 80mph fastball feel like 95mph to hitters. This case study provides a sobering reality check for parents and coaches: mechanical flaws aren't just performance issues; they're ticking time bombs for young arms. The rehabilitation timeline presented offers a realistic perspective on recovery, debunking quick-fix solutions and emphasizing patient, consistent work on mechanics.

What's happening in youth baseball today? Overcoaching and poor mechanics are creating an epidemic of arm injuries. Watch this episode to understand the warning signs, learn proper rehabilitation protocols, and discover how daily work on sound mechanics can save your young pitcher's arm—and perhaps their baseball future. Visit velocityrx.org to learn more about preventing Tommy John injuries and keeping young arms healthy through proper mechanics.

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The Velocity Rx podcast mission is to help save one million arms by giving the very best mechanical, health, and arm care information to it's listeners.

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The alarming rate of arm injuries in baseball isn't just bad luck—it's the predictable outcome of fundamentally flawed mechanical approaches dominating the sport today. In this eye-opening conversation, Chris O'Leary returns to explain why modern pitchers can't stay healthy and what can be done about it.

O'Leary presents compelling visual evidence of what he calls "Flat Arm Syndrome"—a timing problem where the pitching arm is parallel to the ground (not up) when the body begins rotating, creating devastating stress on the elbow and shoulder. Through detailed comparisons of classic pitchers like early-career Verlander, Nolan Ryan, and Tom Seaver with today's injured stars, he demonstrates how modern mechanics have fundamentally changed for the worse.

The discussion doesn't just identify problems but explains their origins. The "Inverted W," "Tommy John twist," and other mechanical shortcuts promoted by velocity programs are systematically breaking down pitchers at all levels. Perhaps most troubling is how these flawed mechanics are being taught to young athletes as the path to success, creating a pipeline of arm injuries waiting to happen.

What makes this conversation particularly powerful is O'Leary's predictive track record. He's correctly identified injury risks in numerous pitchers before they broke down, including Sandy Alcantara and Spencer Schwellenbach. These aren't coincidences but the result of understanding how mechanical flaws inevitably lead to physical breakdown.

The solution isn't complicated training protocols or exotic conditioning—it's about returning to fundamental athletic movements that work with the body's natural biomechanics rather than against them. As O'Leary puts it, "There's no free lunch" in developing velocity; sustainable speed must be built through patience and sound mechanics rather than shortcuts.

Ready to understand baseball's injury epidemic and protect the arms of the next generation? Listen now and discover why the difference between healthy and injured pitchers often comes down to just a few critical mechanical distinctions that anyone can learn to identify.

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The Velocity Rx podcast mission is to help save one million arms by giving the very best mechanical, health, and arm care information to it's listeners.

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Two sports medicine experts pull back the curtain on why young baseball pitchers are getting injured at alarming rates—and it's not what most coaches and trainers think.

Drs. Kevin McGovern and Clay Hammons dive deep into real case studies that reveal the true culprits behind baseball's arm injury epidemic. Through detailed analysis of an 18-year-old pitcher with "dead arm" syndrome and a senior with a partially torn UCL, they demonstrate how poor mechanics—not lack of strength—initiated these preventable injuries.

The doctors methodically dismantle the popular notion that strength training alone can overcome faulty mechanics. "If you have a wheel with five lug nuts and three are stripped off and two are loose and it's wobbling... hitting the gas will just make the wheel fall off faster," explains Dr. McGovern. This vivid analogy perfectly captures why focusing on velocity before fixing mechanical issues is a recipe for disaster.

Parents will find particularly valuable guidance on what to look for in a proper assessment, including red flags that signal it's time to find different care. Both doctors emphasize the critical importance of immediate test-retest protocols that demonstrate measurable improvement in a single session. They also warn about facilities requiring injury waivers—a clear sign to "run."

Whether you're a parent, coach, or athlete, this episode offers crucial insights that challenge conventional wisdom about avoiding arm injuries. The doctors' shared mission comes through powerfully: young players should choose when they stop playing baseball, not have that decision forced upon them by preventable injuries. Follow their systematic approach—assess impairments, treat them, master mechanics, then build velocity—to keep arms healthy for the long haul.

Support the show

The Velocity Rx podcast mission is to help save one million arms by giving the very best mechanical, health, and arm care information to it's listeners.