Medical Experts Discuss Rehab Challenges

Current Concepts in Sports Medicine conference held Saturday

MLB.com—April 16, 2011

A healthy pitcher is nothing to take for granted. Any glance at the disabled list of a Major League team provides all the evidence needed. From blisters on fingers to calf strains and foot problems, pitchers at all levels count themselves fortunate to be healthy. And those who aren't hope to change that -- and do it without making things worse.
 
To stay healthy -- and return to the mound -- Major Leaguers work with talented and experienced physical therapists who make sure the athletes' bodies are ready for whatever adjustments their coaches want to make. Throwing a baseball off a mound requires more than a strong arm -- it takes balance and a strong core, and people like Michael Levinson, a physical therapist and certified strength and conditioning specialist, who works with the Mets.
 
Levinson spoke at the fifth annual Current Concepts in Sports Medicine conference at New York's Hospital for Special Surgery, located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. In a panel on injured athletes moderated by Dr. Frank Cordasco, Levinson discussed the challenges of rehabilitating pitchers for their return to the field in a competitive fashion.
 
The conference, a three-day affair, helped physical therapists, athletic trainers and coaches learn more about injuries across all sports, and the best means of recovery. Sessions covered specific body parts ranging from the rotator cuff to the knee. Saturday morning's session discussed rehabilitation and included speakers on jumper's knee, hip injuries in golfing and overuse among runners.
 
This story originally appeared at MLB.com.