John LaRue, Author at Elite Baseball Performance

About John LaRue

John LaRue is a Content Manager and Editor for Elite Baseball Performance. John’s role is to not only assist in developing original content, but to manage the rehab content that is submitted by our great contributors. During his training for school, he completed a clinical rotation at Champion PT and Performance in Boston, MA. John is currently a licensed provider, completing his Sports PT Residency at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. His main goal is to educate other students and young clinicians on the basics of baseball rehab that can help to prevent injury and improve performance.

Entries by John LaRue

SLAP Injuries in the Baseball Player: Classification and Subjective Evaluation

June 4, 2019/0 Comments/in Injury Prevention, Injury Rehabilitation /by John LaRue

Superior labral tears, anterior to posterior (SLAP) tears are a common reason for anterior shoulder pain in baseball players. These types of injuries can cause significant pain in the late cocking phase. While these types of injuries can be asymptomatic in many baseball players, certain variants of lesions can be very different in that some are stable, while others are unstable. Because of the variety, these types of injuries can be very difficult to not only to play through, but diagnose and examine as a clinician.

The Other Type of Shoulder Instability: Batter’s Shoulder

May 7, 2019/1 Comment/in Injury Rehabilitation /by John LaRue

“Batter’s shoulder,” or posterior shoulder instability, is experienced with repetitive posterior shoulder stress which occurs specifically with baseball batting. Often, swinging and missing as well as reaching for an outside pitch can cause this posterior trauma. The article explains the mechanism behind the injury, the normal guide of treating the pathology, and putting shoulder instability of baseball player’s in perspective.

A New Injury Epidemic in Baseball Pitchers: Blisters

February 5, 2019/2 Comments/in Injury Prevention, Injury Rehabilitation /by John LaRue

Blisters can be a major issue among baseball pitchers resulting in significant loss of playing time. As blister injury trends continue to increase, coaches and medical professionals need to be aware of strategies to prevent and treat these injuries. Here are some current strategies in the prevention and treatment of blisters.

Why GIRD May Be Normal and a Lack of Internal Rotation May Not Lead to Injury

May 29, 2018/0 Comments/in Injury Prevention, Injury Rehabilitation /by John LaRue

A loss of shoulder internal rotation, commonly referred to as GIRD, is a hot topic within the athletic rehab population, but does it really predict a baseball player’s injury risk? This article summarizes exactly what GIRD is, what it isn’t, and incorporates the findings of a recently published article that reports that they’re potentially other measurements that may be more beneficial to predict shoulder and elbow injuries in baseball players. By having a better understanding of GIRD and the other measurements, we can learn to treat athletes more efficiently and effectively.

New Pitch Smart Pitch Count Guidelines to Protect Youth Arms

April 10, 2018/0 Comments/in Injury Prevention /by John LaRue

This article details the newest Pitch Smart guidelines from the MLB and USA Baseball. Recommendations include pitch count standards for baseball players aged 7-22 along with suggestions for each age group to be followed throughout the calendar year that limit volume and workload. These personalized guidelines can help to establish a framework and foundation of youth player safety as long as both coaches and parents alike follow them.