Return to Sport Testing

Return to Sport Testing

When an athlete is injured, it’s important that they are evaluated to make sure that they are fit to play before they return to the field. In return to sport testing, we put you through an organized, phased program that uses a battery of testing in order to return an athlete to their sport as completely and as safely as possible.

Why is the return to sports testing important?

Timing is crucial when making a return to sports decisions. Athletes typically want to return to what they love as fast as possible; however, returning to activity or sport too early puts the athlete at a much greater risk of re-injury, or injury to another region of the body, further prolonging their rehabilitation. Return to sport is often a decision that is made based on the clinician’s subjective opinion as opposed to objectively. This is because there is not one single test that accurately predicts a player’s readiness to return to their sport. Return to sport testing gives a battery of tests that are objective to base the decision off of and give the athlete a regimented step-by-step road map to a player’s recovery. Areas that are not met allow for treatment to be more focused and prioritized to these areas that are lacking, making recovery more efficient.

What is measured in return to sports testing?

Return to sport testing measures many physical aspects for a comprehensive scope of the patient’s functioning and to indicate when a player is ready to progress their rehabilitation towards a return to sport. The typical aspects that are measured and addressed in a return to sport program are:

• Range of motion

• Strength

• Functional movement

• Neuromuscular control and balance

• Power and plyometric movement

• Replication of sport-specific maneuvers

• Psychological readiness

What can Elite Physical Therapy do?

At Elite, our highly trained and friendly staff provide a variety of services to help maximize recovery for many different sport-related injuries and get our athletes back to the activities that matter to them. Our amazing facility, which includes a gymnasium with free weights, machines, and turf with batting cages, gives us the ability to train with a wide range of athletes to remove pain/dysfunction and prevent further injury. Call Elite Physical Therapy and Performance at (208)-666-6665 to find out more information and schedule an evaluation.