Inside Athletic Training

Kevin Rand's career in professional baseball spans over four decades. He started with the New York Yankees organization as a minor league athletic trainer in 1982, spent nearly a decade with the Florida Marlins, and had a brief stop with the Montreal Expos before landing with the Detroit Tigers in 2002, where he'd spend the next 20 years, first as Head Athletic Trainer, then as Senior Director of Medical Services.

In this episode, K...

In this episode of Inside Athletic Training, we sit down with Mike Reinold, one of the most recognized names in sports medicine and athletic training. Mike spent years as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Boston Red Sox, where he was part of a championship organization and worked with some of the best athletes in the game. Since leaving the dugout, he has built one of the most respected platforms in the profession as an author, pod...

In this episode of Inside Athletic Training, we're joined by Joe Rogowski and Dr. Matthew Martinez to talk about the growing role of sports cardiology in professional athletics and the work Athletic Heart is doing to change how teams approach cardiac screening. Athletic Heart was built to deliver advanced cardiovascular tools and technologies specifically engineered for the demands of sports medicine — from EKG and echocardio...

Youth arm health has become one of the most pressing concerns in baseball, and this episode dives straight into it. We're joined by Dave Yeager, longtime Athletic Trainer for the Milwaukee Brewers, and Jeff Weems, founder of PitchKount, a platform built to help track pitch counts and reduce overuse injuries in young players.

Dave and Jeff break down the risks tied to early sports specialization, what the data shows about youth arm i...

Dr. Matthew Ithurburn, Director of Clinical Research at the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) in Birmingham, Alabama, joins us to talk about the research shaping the future of sports medicine. 

Dr. Ithurburn leads ASMI's clinical research team, working alongside Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center on outcomes studies, longitudinal research, and surgical and biologic clinical trials. 

We dig into what this...

Dan Martin has spent 14 years climbing the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system — from Short Season Rookie ball in Johnson City to Triple-A Memphis. This year, he made the jump to the major league staff in St. Louis.

In this episode, Dan reflects on his first season in the big leagues, the journey it took to get there, and what day-to-day life looks like as a major league athletic trainer. He also opens up about managing wo...

The Tommy John epidemic has become one of the most pressing issues in baseball and in this episode of The Research Rundown, we bring together five of the game's leading sports medicine minds to tackle it head on. 

Dr. Michael T. Freehill, Head Team Physician, and Brian Schulman, Director of Sports Medicine and Performance of the Athletics, join Dr. Steven B. Cohen, Head Team Physician, Paul Buchheit, Head Athletic Trainer, and ...

He made history as the first assistant athletic trainer in MLB, rehabbed Bo Jackson's hip, got Michael Jordan ready for the diamond, and was on the field when the White Sox won the 2005 World Series. In this episode, Herm Schneider — one of the longest-tenured and most pioneering athletic trainers in MLB history — reflects on 40+ years with the White Sox, the evolution of sports medicine, his brotherhood with PBATS, and...

On this episode of the Inside Athletic Training Podcast, we’re joined by Bryan Housand, Minor League Medical Coordinator for the Minnesota Twins organization.

Bryan discusses his path through professional baseball, what the role of a Minor League Medical Coordinator looks like behind the scenes, and the challenges of overseeing player health and communication across an entire farm system.

We also dive into the evolving relation...

In Episode 125 of the Inside Athletic Training Podcast, NATA President AJ Duffy joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of athletic training, leadership within the profession, collaboration across sports medicine organizations, the upcoming NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo in Philadelphia, and the key challenges and opportunities shaping athletic training today.

For more information about PBATS and athletic traini...

Cannabis is one of the most debated topics in sports medicine — and one of the least understood. Dr. Jeff Konin, a leading sports medicine and cannabis expert, joins us to cut through the noise on what cannabis actually does to the athlete's body, whether it belongs in performance and recovery protocols, and what athletic trainers need to know to counsel their athletes with confidence.

Learn more about Dr. Konin here. 

For...

In Episode 4 of The Research Rundown, hosts Paul Buchheit (Head Athletic Trainer, Phillies) and Joe Rauch (Assistant Athletic Trainer, Phillies) are joined by Brad Pearson (VP of Sports Medicine, Red Sox) to break down the relationship between training load and injury risk. Using the paper “Training Load and Injury: Causal Pathways and Future Directions,” the group explores what the research actually says about causalit...

In this episode of Inside Athletic Training, we’re joined by Dr. Cameron Roth and Andrew Rizza, co-hosts of the Behind the Sports Medicine Podcast, for a conversation on how they broke into podcasting, the standout guests and moments from their show, the evolution of athletic training, and where the sports medicine profession is headed next.

Check out the Behind the Sports Medicine podcast here

More about Dr. Roth: https://www....

In this episode, we sit down with Erick Flores, International Medical Coordinator for the Detroit Tigers, to discuss the unique world of international academy baseball and what it takes to manage player health at that level. Erick breaks down the key differences between developmental and competitive baseball, what sports medicine looks like inside an academy program, and how athletic trainers approach the long-term care of young in...

On this episode of the Inside Athletic Training podcast, we’re joined by Kim Stein of the Gatorade Sports Science Institut (GSSI) to explore the critical role sleep, nutrition, and recovery play in supporting performance throughout a demanding baseball season.

From navigating travel schedules and late-night games to optimizing daily routines, Kim shares practical, evidence-based strategies athletic trainers can apply to help p...

In Episode 119 of Inside Athletic Training, we’re joined by Dr. Peter Chalmers, orthopedic surgeon and shoulder and elbow specialist at the University of Utah, to discuss thoracic outlet syndrome and its impact on baseball players.

Dr. Chalmers shares insights from his presentation at the Baseball Team Medicine Conference, breaking down the challenges of diagnosing and managing thoracic outlet syndrome, as well as key consider...

In this episode of Inside Athletic Training, we sit down with Blair Bundy, Vice President of Player Health and Performance for the Milwaukee Brewers, to discuss his journey in professional baseball and the day-to-day responsibilities of leading player care at the Major League level.

Blair shares insights on managing health and performance across a full season, collaborating with multidisciplinary staff, and adapting to the evolving ...

On this episode of Research Rundown, a series from Inside Athletic Training, Philadelphia Phillies' Paul Buchheit is joined by Nick Jensen of the Milwaukee Brewers to examine how pitch tracking data is being used to identify potential warning signs associated with acute UCL injuries in MLB pitchers.

The guys break down how changes in velocity, movement profiles, and pitch characteristics may relate to injury risk, what trends are ac...

In this episode of Inside Athletic Training, we’re joined by Kevin Pillifant, Minor League Medical Coordinator for the Chicago White Sox. In his role, Pillifant helps oversee the coordination of medical care across the organization’s minor league system, working with athletic trainers, performance staff, and medical providers throughout player development.  

We also explore Pillifant’s unique career path throu...