For Athletic Recovery & Performance

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness Edge Shoulder pain is one of the most common reasons overhead athletes seek medical care. Whether you’re a baseball pitcher, softball player, swimmer, volleyball athlete, or tennis player, repetitive overhead motion places tremendous stress on the shoulder complex. Although many athletes are told they have “shoulder impingement,” modern sports medicine recognizes that this is o

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness Summer baseball is over—but your baseball development shouldn’t be. For baseball and softball athletes, the off-season is not simply a break from competition. It is an opportunity to recover from the demands of the season, identify physical limitations, improve strength and movement, and build a plan for the next level of performance. The athletes who make the biggest gains dur

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness Why Your Athlete’s Shoulder Evaluation Should Include More Than the Shoulder! Most athletes, parents, and coaches understand that a healthy throwing arm needs adequate mobility, strength, and stability to perform at a high level. But there is another important piece of the evaluation that is often overlooked: the scapula, thoracic spine, and overall posture. These areas are mor

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness Shoulder mobility is one of the most important physical qualities for baseball and softball athletes—especially pitchers, catchers, and outfielders. Every throw requires the shoulder to move through large and often extreme ranges of motion while the muscles and joints of the arm work together to generate and control force. For baseball and softball players, adequate shoulder ra

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness Shoulder pain in baseball and softball athletes is often blamed on the rotator cuff, biceps tendon, or shoulder impingement. However, one of the most challenging injuries in overhead athletes is the SLAP lesion, a tear involving the superior portion of the shoulder labrum where the long head of the biceps tendon attaches. SLAP injuries can significantly affect throwing velocity

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness Baseball and softball players spend countless hours throwing, training, and competing. While injuries such as rotator cuff tears, labral injuries, and UCL sprains receive most of the attention, another condition is becoming increasingly recognized among overhead athletes: Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) Thoracic Outlet Syndrome in baseball and softball players can cause arm pain

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness Football is one of America's most exciting sports, teaching discipline, teamwork, resilience, and confidence. While football is a contact sport with an inherent risk of injury, today's research shows that proper preparation, quality coaching, appropriate equipment, hydration, nutrition, and early injury management dramatically reduce injury risk. At Edge360 Wellness, our goal i

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness Why a Movement Assessment is the Missing Piece Between Performance and Injury Prevention Every baseball and softball player wants to throw harder, hit farther, move quicker, and stay healthy. Unfortunately, many athletes spend hundreds of hours lifting weights, throwing weighted balls, or practicing mechanics without first asking an important question: Is my body physically cap

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness Pitchers need power, mobility, and control — not just brute strength. While many exercises build general athleticism, some movements actually work against the throwing athlete’s goals. Certain lifts or “old-school” exercises can limit shoulder mobility, stress the elbow, or alter movement patterns that are critical for performance and arm health. Disclaimer: the opinions below

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness Golf may look like a low-impact sport, but the golf swing generates tremendous rotational forces throughout the spine and the body. Repetitive swings, long practice sessions, carrying clubs, walking uneven terrain, and limited mobility can lead to pain and injury over the course of a season. Research suggests that more than half of golfers will experience a musculoskeletal inj

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness Pickleball has become one of the fastest-growing sports in America, attracting players of all ages and skill levels. Its social atmosphere, relatively small court size, and accessibility make it easy to start—but the quick bursts of movement, repetitive swings, and sudden directional changes can place significant stress on your body. Whether you're a recreational player or a co

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness 🎾 Tennis is one of the most physically demanding sports, requiring explosive power, quick changes of direction, rotational strength, and repetitive overhead movements. Whether you're competing in junior tournaments, playing USTA leagues, or enjoying recreational matches, the repetitive demands of serving, sprinting, and hitting thousands of strokes can lead to overuse injuries

Not All Physical Therapy Is Created Equal Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness When an athlete gets injured, one of the first recommendations is often physical therapy. But many athletes, parents, and coaches don't realize there is a significant difference between traditional physical therapy and sports physical therapy. While both approaches aim to reduce pain and improve function, sports physical therapy goes fa

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness Rotator cuff injuries are one of the most common shoulder problems faced by baseball and softball players. These injuries can sideline athletes for weeks or even seasons if not properly understood and treated. In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know: anatomy, symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and sports medicine insights. 🎯What Is the Rotat

Little League Shoulder is a common overuse injury in youth baseball and softball players. Learn the causes, symptoms, treatment options, and prevention strategies from sports physical therapy experts in Algonquin, IL.

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness Baseball and softball are deceptively demanding sports. While they may not have constant contact or continuous play, they place high repetitive stress on the shoulder, elbow, spine, and hips—especially in overhead athletes. Recovery isn’t just about “resting your arm.” It’s about actively restoring tissue capacity, maintaining mobility, and preparing the body for the next perio

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness A Short History of Pitch Count Rules Before the mid-2000s, most youth leagues did not track pitch counts. Instead, pitching limits were based on innings pitched per week. For example, youth pitchers were commonly limited to six innings per week, regardless of how many pitches were thrown in those innings. In some cases, pitchers could throw well over 100 pitches in a single out

By Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS Sports Physical Therapist and Overhead Throwing Specialist Athletic Edge and Wellness -Algonquin Swimming is one of the most physically demanding sports, requiring a combination of endurance, strength, flexibility, and precise technique. Whether you're a competitive swimmer or training for fitness, your body is exposed to repetitive overhead motion, high shoulder loads, and continuous core engagement. Over time, even small imbalances can lead to p

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness 🏐 Volleyball is a sport built on power, precision, and agility . Every serve, spike, and dive demands explosive movement and full-body coordination—especially from the shoulders, hips, and knees . To perform at your best and stay on the court all season, your body needs more than skill work. It needs strength, balance, mobility, and recovery . That’s where physical therapy for volleybal

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS | Algonquin Sports PT Overhead Throwing Expert-Athletic Edge and Wellness Edge 💪 Shoulder pain in young baseball and softball players should never be dismissed as “just growing pains.” One of the most common overuse injuries in youth throwers is Little League Shoulder —a stress injury to the growth plate of the upper arm caused by repetitive throwing. This condition most commonly affects athletes ages 9–16 , when the growth plates are still developi