Return-to-Sport Programs

One of the biggest risk factors for sports injury is a previous injury — and the primary reason is premature return to sport. Feeling pain-free is not the same as being fully recovered. Athletes who return before rebuilding adequate strength, neuromuscular control, and sport-specific fitness are significantly more likely to re-injure themselves.

A structured return-to-sport program bridges the gap between rehabilitation and full competition. It includes progressive functional testing, sport-specific training, and objective clearance criteria so you and your therapist can make informed decisions about when you are truly ready.

• Functional testing battery — Objective strength, power, balance, and movement quality tests compared to your uninjured side and sport-specific benchmarks
• Sport-specific progression — Graduated return to your sport’s demands — cutting, jumping, throwing, sprinting — in a controlled environment
• Confidence building — Progressively challenging scenarios that rebuild trust in your body
• Performance metrics — Tracking objective measures to confirm readiness rather than relying on subjective feel
• Communication with coaches — When requested, providing clearance information and return-to-play recommendations

Return-to-sport programming typically begins once you have completed the rehabilitation phase of your recovery and have regained baseline strength and range of motion. The program length varies by sport and injury — typically two to six weeks of progressive sport-specific training.

We use specific performance thresholds to guide progression. For example, after an ACL reconstruction, we look for limb symmetry indexes of 90 percent or greater across multiple hop tests, strength tests, and functional movements before clearing return to cutting sports.

This process is about more than physical readiness — psychological confidence is equally important. Our progressive exposure model ensures you feel ready, not just test ready.