Eclipse Wellness

Eclipse Wellness Physical Therapy and Nutrition experts helping you reach your goals with one-on-one care

03/07/2026

Little league elbow physical therapy needs to include loading of the biceps!

The biceps runs close to the growth plate that is damaged with little league elbow, and it acts as one of the brakes that prevent the growth plate from taking stress. A strong biceps can decrease stress with the rapid elbow extension experienced in throwing.

Focus on full extension with the biceps curls and a slow descent. This mimics the stress experienced during the throw and provides a better preparation for returning to throw.

03/06/2026

Here is how I start my physical therapy clients dealing with little league elbow.

The muscles of the forearm and biceps run directly into the area of the elbow that is irritated during little league elbow. Aggressive strengthening of these muscles early on in the rehab process isn’t ideal. We do want to work these muscles, and I like to do so isometrically. This allows blood flow and contraction of the muscle without excessive stress to the healing tissues.

We also want to make sure that we are strengthening and mobilizing the surrounding muscles. J Bands allow for strengthening of the shoulder muscles without stressing the elbow muscles. Make sure you are moving as much as possible, even early in physical therapy, to prevent stiffness and weakness later on!

03/05/2026

Let’s talk about little league elbow in baseball players.

Before we dive into exercises for rehab of little league elbow, we want to discuss soft tissue mobilization. If there is swelling in a joint, you can bet the muscles around it are tight. This continues the cycle of inflammation because there are less muscle contractions to pump the inflammation back into the body to be absorbed.

The is one tool that I use to help athletes achieve muscle contractions to get rid of inflammation while bringing new healing chemicals into the area. If you are interested, shoot me a message and I can give you more information. I don’t recommend tools often, but I love the Marc Pro for recovery after an injury such as little league elbow.

Stay tuned for some exercises to treat little league elbow or other elbow pain in baseball players!

03/04/2026

My final piece of advice for a 13 year old baseball player and their parents is to own the process.

The further you go in baseball, the more coaches you will come across. This is also true with trainers, physical therapists, and many other professionals. They will have their unique perspective on their profession. It is up to you to determine with whose perspective you most agree. Sometimes it can be a combination.

It is great to talk to experts who have worked with hundreds or thousands of athletes, but it is important to remember that you have one athlete. Your child having the most fun and reaching their goals in baseball will never be as important for a coach as it is for you. For that reason, you have to be comfortable with the decisions you make.

There are no perfect decisions with life or baseball, only the best option at the time. Trust your gut but be willing to pivot. I will be the first to admit that I am not the best physical therapist for every athlete, but I am for some athletes. The key is finding your best option and running with it.

If you have any other suggestions for parents or 13 year old baseball players, let me know!

03/03/2026

My 6th piece of advice for 13 year old baseball players is to start prioritizing recovery.

Your life is only going to get more hectic and you should be learning how to sleep and eat to fuel your body and your performance. Learning these strategies now will save you a lot of time and energy as you develop.

You can also experiment with more advanced techniques such as soft tissue mobility with foam rollers and lacrosse balls. You want to figure out what lets your body feel the best so that you can get back on the field as soon as possible. You don’t want to be missing baseball practice or bullpens because you are sore!

03/02/2026

My 5th piece of advice for 13 year old baseball players is to figure out an arm care routine.

That doesn’t mean you need to be spending an hour warming up before throwing, but you need to start figuring out a routine. Arm care encompasses warming up before you throw, a throwing program, recovery after throwing, and exercises to improve arm strength. Try adding in some components of arm care slowly and see how your body reacts. Keep an eye out for diminished performance due to discomfort or fatigue.

It is important to find your routine now, before game pressure increases. While your games now are important, you would rather feel increased fatigue when throwing in a weekend tournament at 13 compared to a varsity game at 16 or a showcase at 17. Look at the long game when it comes to your baseball career and you will be thankful one day!

03/01/2026

My 4th piece of advice for a 13 year old baseball player is to start training.

Your first couple of years of training are all about practicing movements and building general strength. Full body lifts three times a week beats advanced lifting splits for 6 days. If you are doing push-pull-leg then you are only performing compound movements like squats or deadlifts twice a week. You are developing the most from those movements, so your priority should be hitting them three times a week. Throw in accessory work if you want, but you need to focus on developing general strength as soon as possible.

You should walk into high school with a couple of years of lifting under your belt. At that point, you can branch out and try different programs or get most baseball specific. Remember, we want to build great athletes who play baseball, not baseball athletes.

02/28/2026

My third piece of advice for a 13 year old baseball player is to get a crew to support you.

Baseball is really hard. It can be even harder when you are going through it by yourself. Surround yourself with people who have been through it before so you can lean on them when needed.

Yesterday I posted about getting assessed. This is a great introduction for a physical therapist, trainer, or skill coach. At 13 years old, you might not need to see a physical therapist, but connecting with one ahead of time is crucial. You don’t want to be the parent who is scrolling through Google reviews and listings to see who works with baseball players and has openings before next weekend’s tournament. It is easier to have a contact that you trust before an injury occurs.

The key is to find people that you trust. Shop around if you aren’t sure who is the right fit. You only have one career and you want to maximize it and enjoy it.

02/27/2026

My second piece of advice for a 13 year old baseball player is to have a plan. A plan comes from a baseball assessment. You wouldn’t drive a car without GPS and you shouldn’t train without a plan.

While it is important to enjoy sports, you still need a general plan. You would rather find out your weaknesses at 13 and address them instead of waiting until you are 16. Find someone you trust who works with baseball players and lay out a general idea of the next few years. The athletes that I see who know their abilities and what they can do to improve tend to be far ahead of the others at 13.

Curious about how we perform baseball assessments at Eclipse Wellness? Check out the blog post or the YouTube video that I posted a few weeks ago!

02/26/2026

My first piece of advice if I had a 13 year old baseball player is to play multiple sports.

We want to build a well-rounded athlete who happens to play baseball. This helps with injury prevention and performance on the field. At 13, many parents consider switching to baseball full time. It makes sense. The field gets bigger, the competition gets better, and the travel programs and coaches get more predatory 😂

If you are able to resist this temptation and stick with multiple sports, you are helping out your child over the long term even if their short term development suffers. It is all about having a plan when it comes to long term athletic development. Follow along this week for more ideas of how to plan for success as a baseball player and athlete!

02/25/2026

For the last plyometric video, I wanted to focus on the back of the shoulder. This area includes the rotator cuff and scapular muscles that help slow down the arm during throwing. Strengthening of these muscles can help decrease stress through the whole arm including the elbow. It also allows you to increase velo by giving your body a better braking system with throwing. Give these a try!

02/24/2026

Let’s look at a great shoulder plyometric exercise, that isn’t really a plyometric exercise.

As I have talked about before, plyometrics involve the absorption of force and the rapid contraction of the muscles being strengthened. Medicine balls are not great for this. Starting the movement with a recoil or having someone throw to you is a good way to start, but it is still not a traditional plyometric movement.

I still love medicine ball throws for baseball athletes, but it is important to understand the purpose of your training. Plyometrics should be part of your training, along with strength, mobility, and many other qualities. In order to address your individual needs, you need to understand the rationale behind your exercises!

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