Stop “Shutting It Down”: Why Rest Alone Fails Injured Pitchers

January 12, 2026•3 min read

Stop “Shutting It Down”: Why Rest Alone Fails Injured Pitchers - Lewis Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation

One of the most common — and most damaging — recommendations pitchers receive after a shoulder or elbow injury is this:

“Just shut it down for 4–6 weeks and then start throwing again.”

While this advice may sound logical on the surface, it consistently sets pitchers up for frustration, reinjury, and prolonged time away from the mound.

As a former Major League Baseball Physical Therapist, I can tell you this with certainty: rest alone does not prepare an arm to throw again.

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Why Rest Makes Pain Better — But Performance Worse

When a pitcher stops throwing, pain often improves. That’s not because the injury healed — it’s because the painful stimulus (throwing) was removed.

During a full shutdown without rehab, several negative changes occur:

Rotator cuff and scapular stabilizers rapidly lose strength
Shoulder and elbow tissues lose load tolerance
Neuromuscular control and stability decline
The arm becomes less prepared to handle throwing stress

So when throwing resumes, the arm is actually in a more vulnerable state than when the pain first began.

This is why so many pitchers report:

“I felt fine during rest… but as soon as I started throwing again, the pain came right back.”

What Happens in Professional Baseball

In professional baseball, complete shutdowns without rehab are rare.

Even after procedures like PRP injections, pitchers typically begin physical therapy within days once injection-related soreness resolves.

Why?

Because tissue healing requires:

Progressive loading
Controlled stress exposure
Strength and stability development

Simply waiting does none of that.

At the professional level, rehab is active, intentional, and criteria-based, not passive and timeline-driven.

Rehab Is Not a Timeline — It’s a Checklist

One of the biggest mistakes pitchers make is assuming readiness based on time alone.

Return-to-throwing decisions should be based on whether the athlete can demonstrate:

Adequate rotator cuff and scapular strength
Normal shoulder range of motion
Tolerance to plyometric and deceleration drills
Capacity to load the arm safely in the gym
Sufficient lower-body strength to support throwing demands

If these boxes aren’t checked, throwing volume and intensity spike too quickly — and reinjury risk skyrockets.

You Should Still Be Training During Arm Rehab

If your arm is injured, that does not mean you stop training altogether.

In fact:

The lower body is the primary force producer in throwing
Core strength helps transfer force and reduce arm stress
Training the non-throwing arm can drive positive adaptations to the injured side

Smart rehab keeps pitchers strong, athletic, and prepared — not detrained and fragile.