---
title: Recovery Foundations
description: Recovery sheet for athletes
image: https://www.proathletept.com/hubfs/Fb-Profile%20%E2%80%93%201.jpg
---
[Skip to main content](https://www.proathletept.com/blog/recovery-foundations#main-content)
[ ](https://www.proathletept.com)
- [Home](https://www.proathletept.com)
- Show submenu for Locations Locations
- [Centennial](https://www.proathletept.com/locations/centennial)
- [Lakewood](https://www.proathletept.com/locations/lakewood)
- Show submenu for Baseball Injury Guides Baseball Injury Guides
- [Baseball Injury Basics](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-arm-injury-guide-denver)
- [Stop Icing](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-injury-guide/active-recovery-for-pitchers)
- [Elbow Pain (UCL)](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-injury-guide/ucl-injury)
- [Tommy John Surgery](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-injury-guide/tommy-john-surgery)
- [Little League Elbow](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-injury-guide/little-league-elbow)
- [Shoulder Pain](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-injury-guide/shoulder-pain-baseball-players)
- [Little League Shoulder](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-injury-guide/little-league-shoulder)
- [Common Questions](https://www.proathletept.com/faq-sports-physical-therapist-denver-co)
- [About Us](https://www.proathletept.com/the-story-and-team)
- Show submenu for FREE Stuff FREE Stuff
- [Fix Arm Pain](https://www.proathletept.com/arm-pain-form)
- Armcare Routine
- [Get Stronger](https://www.proathletept.com/velo-strength)
Open main navigation
Close main navigation
- [Home](https://www.proathletept.com)
- Show submenu for Locations Locations
- Locations
- [Centennial](https://www.proathletept.com/locations/centennial)
- [Lakewood](https://www.proathletept.com/locations/lakewood)
- Show submenu for Baseball Injury Guides Baseball Injury Guides
- Baseball Injury Guides
- [Baseball Injury Basics](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-arm-injury-guide-denver)
- [Stop Icing](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-injury-guide/active-recovery-for-pitchers)
- [Elbow Pain (UCL)](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-injury-guide/ucl-injury)
- [Tommy John Surgery](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-injury-guide/tommy-john-surgery)
- [Little League Elbow](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-injury-guide/little-league-elbow)
- [Shoulder Pain](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-injury-guide/shoulder-pain-baseball-players)
- [Little League Shoulder](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-injury-guide/little-league-shoulder)
- [Common Questions](https://www.proathletept.com/faq-sports-physical-therapist-denver-co)
- [About Us](https://www.proathletept.com/the-story-and-team)
- Show submenu for FREE Stuff FREE Stuff
- FREE Stuff
- [Fix Arm Pain](https://www.proathletept.com/arm-pain-form)
- Armcare Routine
- [Get Stronger](https://www.proathletept.com/velo-strength)
- [BOOK CALL](https://start.proathletept.com/book-a-call-page)
-
[BOOK CALL](https://start.proathletept.com/book-a-call-page)
[prevent baseball injuries](https://www.proathletept.com/blog/tag/prevent-baseball-injuries)
# Recovery Foundations
*Recovery is one of the five levers we cover in our [Baseball Arm Injury Guide for Denver Families](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-arm-injury-guide-denver), alongside sleep, nutrition, training, and mechanics. This post goes deep on recovery specifically.*
## Diet
*\*If you have dietary restrictions or disorders reach out to your primary care physician (PCP)*
- Eat between 1.5 and 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
- Carbohydrates and fats in things like whole grains/vegetables and nuts/avocados are important as well.
#### Example
- 17 year old pitcher who weighs 160 lbs and training regularly:
- 160lbs/2.2 = 73 kilograms
- 73x1.5 = 110 grams of protein per day
## Hydration
- Drink 400 mL (14oz) to 600 mL (20 oz) of fluid 2 hours before activity/exercise
- Weigh yourself right before activity *and* immediately after
- The goal is not to lose \> 2% of pre-activity weight
- Drink 150-300 mL (5-10oz) of water every 20 minutes during exercise
- Drinks like gatorade and electrolyte supplements can be reserved for extreme heat training and/or training sessions longer than 90 minutes.
## Sleep
- Sleeping fewer than 7 hours per night increases an athlete’s injury risk by 1.7x
- Sleep 8-9 hours per night
- Still not feeling rested?
- Keep temperature at 65-68 degrees fahrenheit white sleeping
- Use blackout curtains around windows and openings of light
- Go to bed and wake up at exactly the same time every day including weekends
- Only nap ~20 minutes per day
- Put away all devices and place on Do Not Disturb 1 hour before bed
- Still not feeling rested? Contact your PCP
## Mental Health
- Finding healthy coping strategies and communicating with your coaches/support staff is
- key.
- If there are enough stressors in your life that sports aren’t in the cards at this moment, that’s okay.
- Find a trained mental health professional that can help you come to that conclusion.
## Workloads
- Don’t do too much too soon (no more than 30% of the previous 4 weeks of work)
- Don’t let activity dip below a baseline level (at least 70% of the previous 4 weeks)
#### Example:
- A professional reliever is rehabbing from a shoulder injury and is now in week 1 of his mound progression. In the first week on the mound, he’s scheduled to throw 2 bullpens for a total of 44 pitches
- By Week 5, that means, ideally, he doesn’t surpass ~58 total pitches from the bump (AKA no more than 30% of the volume from week 1).
- By Week 5, that means, ideally, he doesn’t throw any less than ~35 total pitches from the mound (AKA at least 70% of the volume from week 1).
### Recovery Modalities
- Things like laser/red light therapy/cold plunges/hot tubs/shockwave therapy/massage or any other technology/service/device claiming to be the holy grail of recovery are ***absolutely meaningless*** unless the above principles are absolutely locked in.
Tags:
[prevent baseball injuries](https://www.proathletept.com/blog/tag/prevent-baseball-injuries)
**[Edwin Porras](https://www.proathletept.com/blog/author/edwin-porras)**
May 3, 2024, 2:36:48 PM
## Related Articles
[ Prevent Common Baseball Injuries and Improve Performance Nathan Denning • Mar 22, 2024, 12:06:08 PM](https://www.proathletept.com/blog/prevent-injuries-perform)
[](https://www.proathletept.com)
- [Home](https://www.proathletept.com)
- [Locations](https://www.proathletept.com/locations/centennial)
- [About Us](https://www.proathletept.com/the-story-and-team)
- [Common Questions](https://www.proathletept.com/faq-sports-physical-therapist-denver-co)
- [Baseball Recovery/Injury Guide](https://www.proathletept.com/baseball-arm-injury-guide-denver)
**PRO Athlete Physical Therapy, Centennial**
[7240 S Fraser St, Centennial, CO 80112](https://www.proathletept.com/locations/centennial)
[(720) 248-7527](tel:+17202487527)
**PRO Athlete Physical Therapy, Lakewood**
Inside of FAST Performance
[5825 W 6th Ave #3a, Lakewood, CO 80214](https://www.proathletept.com/locations/lakewood)
[(720) 248-7515](tel:+17202487515)
2026 PRO Athlete Physical Therapy. All rights reserved.
[Privacy Policy](https://www.proathletept.com/privacy-policy) | [Terms of Service](https://www.proathletept.com/terms-of-service)
-
-
-
-
-
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@type" : "BlogPosting",
"author" : {
"@type" : "Person",
"name" : "Edwin Porras",
"url" : "https://www.proathletept.com/blog/author/edwin-porras"
},
"dateModified" : "2026-04-20T00:54:57.532Z",
"datePublished" : "2024-05-03T20:36:48.000Z",
"headline" : "Recovery Foundations",
"image" : [ "https://www.proathletept.com/hubfs/Fb-Profile%20%E2%80%93%201.jpg" ],
"mainEntityOfPage" : {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/blog/recovery-foundations",
"@type" : "WebPage"
},
"publisher" : {
"@type" : "Organization",
"logo" : {
"@type" : "ImageObject",
"url" : "https://www.proathletept.com/hubfs/PRO-1.jpg"
},
"name" : "PRO Athlete Physical Therapy"
}
}
```
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#organization",
"@type" : [ "Organization", "MedicalBusiness" ],
"alternateName" : "PRO Athlete PT",
"areaServed" : [ {
"@type" : "City",
"containedInPlace" : {
"@type" : "State",
"name" : "Colorado"
},
"name" : "Lakewood"
}, {
"@type" : "City",
"containedInPlace" : {
"@type" : "State",
"name" : "Colorado"
},
"name" : "Centennial"
}, {
"@type" : "City",
"containedInPlace" : {
"@type" : "State",
"name" : "Colorado"
},
"name" : "Denver"
}, {
"@type" : "City",
"containedInPlace" : {
"@type" : "State",
"name" : "Colorado"
},
"name" : "Aurora"
}, {
"@type" : "City",
"containedInPlace" : {
"@type" : "State",
"name" : "Colorado"
},
"name" : "Highlands Ranch"
}, {
"@type" : "City",
"containedInPlace" : {
"@type" : "State",
"name" : "Colorado"
},
"name" : "Boulder"
} ],
"description" : "Baseball-specific physical therapy and arm care for pitchers and position players in the Denver metro. Founded by former Minnesota Twins medical staff. Cash-pay, one-on-one care focused on UCL injuries, Tommy John recovery, shoulder pain and throwing workload.",
"employee" : [ {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/the-story-and-team#edwin-porras"
}, {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/the-story-and-team#thaddeus-hayes"
} ],
"founder" : {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/the-story-and-team#edwin-porras"
},
"image" : {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#logo"
},
"knowsAbout" : [ "Ulnar collateral ligament injury", "Tommy John surgery rehabilitation", "Baseball pitching arm care", "Youth baseball injury prevention", "Interval throwing programs", "Little League elbow", "Pitcher shoulder pain", "Throwing workload management", "Return to throwing after elbow surgery", "Baseball strength and conditioning" ],
"location" : [ {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#lakewood"
}, {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#centennial"
} ],
"logo" : {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#logo",
"@type" : "ImageObject",
"caption" : "PRO Athlete Physical Therapy logo",
"height" : 43,
"url" : "https://www.proathletept.com/hubfs/black%20logo.png",
"width" : 300
},
"name" : "PRO Athlete Physical Therapy",
"sameAs" : [ "https://www.instagram.com/proathletept/", "https://twitter.com/proathletept", "https://www.tiktok.com/@proathletept", "https://www.youtube.com/@PROAthletePhysicalTherapy" ],
"slogan" : "Rest is not Rehab.",
"url" : "https://www.proathletept.com"
}
```
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#lakewood",
"@type" : [ "PhysicalTherapy", "SportsActivityLocation" ],
"address" : {
"@type" : "PostalAddress",
"addressCountry" : "US",
"addressLocality" : "Lakewood",
"addressRegion" : "CO",
"postalCode" : "80214",
"streetAddress" : "5825 W 6th Ave #3a"
},
"availableService" : [ {
"@type" : "MedicalTherapy",
"name" : "UCL injury rehabilitation"
}, {
"@type" : "MedicalTherapy",
"name" : "Tommy John post-operative rehabilitation"
}, {
"@type" : "MedicalTherapy",
"name" : "Pitcher shoulder rehabilitation"
}, {
"@type" : "MedicalTherapy",
"name" : "Baseball arm care and injury prevention"
}, {
"@type" : "MedicalTherapy",
"name" : "Return to throwing program"
} ],
"currenciesAccepted" : "USD",
"description" : "Baseball physical therapy and arm care in Lakewood, CO. UCL injuries, Tommy John recovery and pitcher shoulder pain, treated by former Minnesota Twins medical staff.",
"geo" : {
"@type" : "GeoCoordinates",
"latitude" : 39.7268173,
"longitude" : -105.060642
},
"hasMap" : "https://maps.google.com/?cid=11314138971008763672",
"image" : {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#logo"
},
"isAcceptingNewPatients" : true,
"name" : "PRO Athlete Physical Therapy, Lakewood",
"parentOrganization" : {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#organization"
},
"priceRange" : "$$$",
"sameAs" : "https://maps.google.com/?cid=11314138971008763672",
"telephone" : "+1-720-248-7515",
"url" : "https://www.proathletept.com/locations/lakewood"
}
```
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#centennial",
"@type" : [ "PhysicalTherapy", "SportsActivityLocation" ],
"address" : {
"@type" : "PostalAddress",
"addressCountry" : "US",
"addressLocality" : "Centennial",
"addressRegion" : "CO",
"postalCode" : "80112",
"streetAddress" : "7240 S Fraser St"
},
"availableService" : [ {
"@type" : "MedicalTherapy",
"name" : "UCL injury rehabilitation"
}, {
"@type" : "MedicalTherapy",
"name" : "Tommy John post-operative rehabilitation"
}, {
"@type" : "MedicalTherapy",
"name" : "Pitcher shoulder rehabilitation"
}, {
"@type" : "MedicalTherapy",
"name" : "Baseball arm care and injury prevention"
}, {
"@type" : "MedicalTherapy",
"name" : "Return to throwing program"
} ],
"currenciesAccepted" : "USD",
"description" : "Baseball physical therapy and arm care in Centennial, CO. UCL injuries, Tommy John recovery and pitcher shoulder pain, treated by former Minnesota Twins medical staff.",
"geo" : {
"@type" : "GeoCoordinates",
"latitude" : 39.58585083253561,
"longitude" : -104.81636121057306
},
"hasMap" : "https://maps.google.com/?cid=4289837886441355523",
"image" : {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#logo"
},
"isAcceptingNewPatients" : true,
"name" : "PRO Athlete Physical Therapy, Centennial",
"parentOrganization" : {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#organization"
},
"priceRange" : "$$$",
"sameAs" : "https://maps.google.com/?cid=4289837886441355523",
"telephone" : "+1-720-248-7527",
"url" : "https://www.proathletept.com/locations/centennial"
}
```
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/the-story-and-team#edwin-porras",
"@type" : "Person",
"alumniOf" : {
"@type" : "SportsOrganization",
"name" : "Minnesota Twins"
},
"description" : "Baseball arm care and UCL specialist. PubMed-published researcher. Former Minnesota Twins medical staff.",
"honorificPrefix" : "Dr.",
"honorificSuffix" : "DPT, OCS",
"jobTitle" : "Doctor of Physical Therapy, Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist",
"name" : "Edwin Porras",
"sameAs" : [ "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9789277/", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinporras/", "https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3084893/2022/01/22/twins-tap-twitter-fantasy-football-guru-and-bilingual-physical-therapist-to-work-with-rehabbing-players/", "https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-twins-announce-2022-minor-league-staff-assignments", "https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-twins-announce-2023-minor-league-staff-assignments" ],
"url" : "https://www.proathletept.com/the-story-and-team",
"worksFor" : {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#organization"
}
}
```
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/the-story-and-team#thaddeus-hayes",
"@type" : "Person",
"alumniOf" : {
"@type" : "SportsOrganization",
"name" : "Minnesota Twins"
},
"description" : "Former Minnesota Twins athletic trainer. Five years in professional baseball sports medicine.",
"honorificSuffix" : "MAT, LAT, ATC",
"jobTitle" : "Athletic Trainer, Arm Care Director",
"name" : "Thaddeus Hayes",
"sameAs" : [ "https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-twins-announce-2023-minor-league-staff-assignments" ],
"url" : "https://www.proathletept.com/the-story-and-team",
"worksFor" : {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#organization"
}
}
```
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#website",
"@type" : "WebSite",
"inLanguage" : "en-US",
"name" : "PRO Athlete Physical Therapy",
"publisher" : {
"@id" : "https://www.proathletept.com/#organization"
},
"url" : "https://www.proathletept.com"
}
```