Returning to Sport After Injury Without Re-Injury

The single biggest predictor of a new injury is a previous injury that was not fully rehabilitated. Returning when pain stops — instead of when capacity returns — is the classic mistake.

Criteria-based return-to-sport uses measurable targets: symmetrical strength within 10% of the uninjured side, hop-test symmetry, sport-specific agility performance, and confidence scores.

Load should progress gradually. A common guideline is to avoid increasing weekly training load by more than about 10% at a time.

Your physiotherapist should also address the reason the injury happened: technique, fatigue management, footwear, or a strength deficit further up the chain.