Jeremy Alland, MD

Jeremy Alland, MD Team Doctor: Chicago Bulls🏀 Chicago White Sox ⚾️
Sports Medicine Education: Keeping People Active! Host of Podcast
🚫med advice

Terrible news here in Chicago! Cade Horton is heading into his second elbow surgery. His first? At 18. This isn’t just a...
04/08/2026

Terrible news here in Chicago! Cade Horton is heading into his second elbow surgery. His first? At 18. This isn’t just a pro baseball story, it’s a youth sports crisis.

- 1 in 3 MLB pitchers have had Tommy John surgery.
- UCL injuries in youth athletes are 10x higher than in 2000.
- Over 50% of surgeries are now on teenagers.

The causes? Year-round play, no off-season, chasing velocity, and overuse on young, growing elbows.

Tommy John surgery doesn’t make pitchers better, it’s a 12–18 month recovery with real risks.

We have the tools to prevent this and we are researching even more.

My recommendation is that you find resources around you with injury prevention specialists to get biomechanics testing and follow the PitchSmart Guidelines to the best of your ability.

💬 Tag a baseball family who needs to see this. Let’s protect our kids and their futures. 💙

References:
1. Kriz PK et al. Am J Sports Med. 2022. PMID: 35867456
2. Erickson BJ et al. Am J Sports Med. 2015. PMID: 25925603
3. Carr JB et al. Arthroscopy. 2020. PMID: 32359709
4. Keyt LK et al. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2020. PMID: 32430638
5. Hadley CJ et al. Am J Sports Med. 2021. PMID: 33908282
6. Jensen AR et al. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2020. PMID: 32430637
7. Labott JR et al. Arthroscopy. 2023. PMID: 36621598
8. Putukian M et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2026. PMID: 39820279
9. Brenner JS, Watson A. Pediatrics. 2024. PMID: 38230547
10. Matsui T et al. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2025. PMID: 40311705
11. Christoffer DJ et al. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2019. PMID: 30830566
12. Herring SA et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2024. PMID: 38373069
13. Camp CL et al. Am J Sports Med. 2021. PMID: 34283960
14. Podesta L et al. Am J Sports Med. 2013. PMID: 23633341
15. Chauhan A et al. Am J Sports Med. 2019. PMID: 31545891
16. Finnoff JT et al. Clin J Sport Med. 2021. PMID: 34731862
17. Post EG et al. Am J Sports Med. 2017. PMID: 28248557

New youth baseball biomechanics research caught my attention (and so did some expert pushback on it).A study of 46 high ...
04/06/2026

New youth baseball biomechanics research caught my attention (and so did some expert pushback on it).

A study of 46 high school pitchers found that highly specialized players generate significantly more shoulder distraction force. That matters for injury risk.

But a biomechanics colleague raised some real questions: the specialization labels rely on self-report (notoriously unreliable), the low-specialized group only had 10 players, and the highly specialized group may actually be better throwers (more efficient, harder throwers). It is genuinely complicated.

Here is what I keep coming back to though: the broader evidence against early single-sport specialization is not built on one study. It is built on many. And the recommendations - off-season rest, multi-sport participation, pitch count compliance, taking pain seriously - hold up regardless of this study's limitations.

Swipe through for the findings, the expert critique, and what we can still confidently act on. This is what honest sports medicine communication looks like.

Save this and share it with a baseball parent who needs it.

STUDY: Johnson AL, Caballero MR, Fehr S, Dziuk CC, Cross JA. Effects of Sport Specialization on Pitching Biomechanics in Adolescent Baseball Pitchers. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach. 2026;18(2):279-287. doi:10.1177/19417381251391459

Sage

Lauren Betts plays for a national championship today and her story is one every parent of a youth athlete should know!Sh...
04/05/2026

Lauren Betts plays for a national championship today and her story is one every parent of a youth athlete should know!

She was the #1 recruit in the country. She had two athlete parents, an elite program, and every advantage the system says you need.

And the pressure still nearly ended her career before it started.

She wrote about it herself on The Player's Tribune - the depression, the anxiety, checking herself into a psychiatric ward - so other young athletes would know they weren't alone.

She came back. And today she plays for a title! An amazing story.

But here's the question I'm asking as a sports medicine doctor and a dad: how many kids walk that same road and don't come back? How many childhoods are being shaped right now by rankings, travel teams, and year-round pressure...and we never hear their story because there's no championship game at the end?

You are your child's first line of defense.

Chase the dream. Protect the child. And help them find space outside the game. Something fun, something that has nothing to do with a scoreboard.

Their mental health matters as much as their game.

Swipe through Lauren's full story. Save this if it resonates. Share it with a parent who needs to hear it today.

WomensBasketball

The #1 ranked 10-year-old is usually not your future college star. Tonight's Final Four proves it.Keaton Wagler was the...
04/04/2026

The #1 ranked 10-year-old is usually not your future college star. Tonight's Final Four proves it.

Keaton Wagler was the 261st ranked recruit. Yaxel Lendeborg played 11 total varsity games in high school. Koa Peat was still playing football and baseball deep into his teens.

Three of the four Final Four teams are led by players the recruiting machine missed, dismissed, or never saw coming.

We have built a billion-dollar youth sports industry around ranking kids earlier and earlier. Travel teams. Showcases. Star ratings at age 10. It profits off your anxiety as a parent. And the data is clear that it doesn't work. Most kids don't make it, with too many getting injured or burning out.

The best 10-year-old rarely becomes the best 20-year-old.

Let your kid play multiple sports. Let them grow on their own timeline. Let them fall in love with the game.
And enjoy the ride!

Swipe to see the stories. Save this if you need a reminder. Share it with a parent who needs to hear it tonight.

Osgood-Schlatter doesn’t have to sideline your child.Here’s what you need to know to keep them playing safely:👉 What cau...
04/03/2026

Osgood-Schlatter doesn’t have to sideline your child.

Here’s what you need to know to keep them playing safely:
👉 What causes it and why it flares up
👉 The 2 simple rules to decide if they can keep playing
👉 When it’s time to rest or see a doctor

Let’s keep kids active, healthy, and doing what they love! 💙 Save this post for later and share it with another parent who needs this info. 🙌

Knee pain in kids isn’t always just ‘growing pains.’ 🦵💥If your child’s knee pain is being brushed off, it might be time ...
04/02/2026

Knee pain in kids isn’t always just ‘growing pains.’ 🦵💥

If your child’s knee pain is being brushed off, it might be time for a closer look. This guide breaks down:
👉 Why knee pain ≠ growing pains
👉 Common causes like Osgood-Schlatter, patellofemoral pain, and overuse
👉 When to rest, watch, or see a doctor

Let’s keep our kids active, healthy, and pain-free. 💙 Save this post for later and share it with another parent who needs this info! 🙌

Bucket List with my Kids Photo Dump 🥰
04/02/2026

Bucket List with my Kids Photo Dump 🥰

1 in 3 injuries prevented. Just by adding 15 minutes to practice, twice a week.That is what a large randomized controlle...
04/01/2026

1 in 3 injuries prevented. Just by adding 15 minutes to practice, twice a week.

That is what a large randomized controlled trial found when youth soccer teams used a program called FUNBALL throughout a full season. Over 1,000 players, ages 13 to 19, followed for an entire season. Overall injuries dropped by 31%. Severe injuries, the ones that keep players out for a month or more, dropped by nearly half. And the teams using the program had almost twice the player availability by season's end.

Here is what I think makes this one worth paying attention to: the researchers knew that compliance is the biggest reason these programs fail. Players find them boring. Coaches deprioritize them. So FUNBALL was built differently. They included the ball as much as possible, added competitive drills between players, and built in progressions to keep it challenging. The result was that coaches actually stuck with it, using it in 72% of all training sessions. That is remarkably high for this type of intervention.

I have covered FIFA 11+ a lot on this page. This is an alternative, and there are many more out there being developed. The evidence is showing that structured injury prevention works in youth soccer. There is no single perfect program. The common thread across all of them is consistency, done at least twice a week, all season long. The best program is the one your coach will actually use.

Swipe through for what FUNBALL involves, how it compares, and what you can do as a parent to move things in the right direction.

Share this with your team's coach or group chat. Awareness is the first step.

STUDY: Obërtinca R, Meha R, Hoxha I, et alEfficacy of a new injury prevention programme (FUNBALL) in young male football (soccer) players: a cluster-randomised controlled trialBritish Journal of Sports Medicine 2024;58:548-555.

Let’s talk about those rare, beautiful days when the calendar is EMPTY.It’s so easy to feel guilty or restless when ther...
04/01/2026

Let’s talk about those rare, beautiful days when the calendar is EMPTY.

It’s so easy to feel guilty or restless when there’s no practice, no games, no rushing around. But here’s the truth: those free days are just as important as the busy ones.

Block them off. Protect them. And most importantly, ENJOY them.

If this hits home, share it with another parent who needs this reminder. Let’s normalize rest and joy for our kids AND for us. 🙌

New Study Alert! More data showing that growth spurts are high-risk time for injury in our youth athletes.A 7-year study...
03/31/2026

New Study Alert! More data showing that growth spurts are high-risk time for injury in our youth athletes.

A 7-year study of 500+ elite ballet dancers found:
👉 Injury risk peaks during the fastest growth phase
👉 The faster kids grow, the higher their injury risk
👉 Most injuries happen around 85–95% of adult height

This is the window most parents and coaches miss before it's too late.

If your child is growing quickly:
• Watch for pain (especially knees, hips, feet)
• Adjust training load
• Make sure they’re eating enough and optimize their nutrition

Growth is universal. And when they are most vulnerable to injury is usually when they are being pushed the most.

We can lower the risk by following their growth and monitoring their loads.

Share this with another parent who needs to see it.

Article Citation: MacSweeney N, Sheriff K, Fitzpatrick C, et alAdolescent maturation and injury risk in an elite ballet school: a 7-year cohort study of 506 studentsBritish Journal of Sports Medicine 2026;60:525-533.

The #1 mistake I see every baseball season (and how to fix it)Early season arm injuries aren’t random.They’re a ramp-up...
03/31/2026

The #1 mistake I see every baseball season (and how to fix it)
Early season arm injuries aren’t random.
They’re a ramp-up problem.

Every spring, I see the same pattern:
➡️ Kids go from low throwing volume → full games overnight
➡️ Pitch counts look “safe”
➡️ But the arm isn’t prepared for the load

That’s where injuries happen.

These first 2 tips help reduce stress:
✔️ Cut pitch counts early
✔️ Build in true “no throw” days

But this last one? It’s the game-changer 👇

✔️ Have a consistent arm care program

We’re not talking about something complicated—
Just 10–15 minutes, 1–2x/week (daily is even better)

Because the research is clear:

• Youth pitchers who throw more and rest less have a significantly higher risk of arm injury
• Pitching while fatigued is one of the strongest predictors of injury
• Structured shoulder/arm programs can reduce injury risk by ~45–50%

This is the part most teams skip…
And it’s often the difference between staying healthy vs. missing the season.

Don’t just manage workload, prepare the arm for it.

Save this for your season.
Share with another parent.
Send it to a coach who needs to see this.

References:

Glenn S. Fleisig et al. Risk of serious injury for young baseball pitchers: a 10-year prospective study. Am J Sports Med. 2011.
Stephen J. Olsen et al. Risk factors for shoulder and elbow injuries in adolescent baseball pitchers. Am J Sports Med. 2006.
Christopher M. Camp et al. The effectiveness of injury prevention programs in overhead athletes. Orthop J Sports Med.

I wonder why so many doctors are quitting medicine? 🤔
03/30/2026

I wonder why so many doctors are quitting medicine? 🤔

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