Comprehensive Rehabilitation of the Athlete: A Specific and Purposeful Approach

Abstract

There is a need to improve the quality of rehabilitation in sports medicine to return athletes to optimal function safely and quickly, reducing the risk of reinjury. This paper describes a planning paradigm to guide clinical reasoning during individual treatment sessions and a model for planning the rehabilitation program from acute injury to return to play. The design of a rehabilitation program should be a collaborative, team effort, and accounting for the specific needs of the athlete. As the athlete progresses from acute injury management all the way back to full competition, the rehabilitation professional emphasizes the components of pain management, motion, motor control, and force production in varying degrees based upon phases of tissue healing and the athlete's response. Utilizing high-value, evidence-based treatments maximize both the effectiveness and efficiency of rehabilitation to restore and improve upon preinjury levels of physical performance.

Injury Rehabilitation in Badminton: An Evidence-based Approach to Player Well-being- A Systematic Review

“…It involves a series of exercises designed to improve strength, flexibility and stability without overloading the injured area. The physical therapy approach should be individualised, considering the type of injury and the specific needs of the player (Carreño et al, 2021).…”

Ballet Rehabilitation: A Novel Return to Sport Protocol

“…An understanding of the basic science of tissue healing and rehabilitation is required to explain the importance of a proper progressive, late-stage rehabilitation RTS program in ballet. To summarize, the three phases of tissue healing are: inflammation, repair (proliferative), and maturation (remodeling) [3,16].…”

“…This phase initiates the healing process by attracting local stem cells to the area and is distinguished by pain, edema, warmth, and dysfunction. Extremes of inflammation, insufficient or excessive, can result in inadequate or incomplete healing [3,16].…”

“…While the timing of all the phases overlaps to some extent, the second phase of healing lasts for weeks to months and is defined by neovascularization, the formation of type three (immature) collagen, and the formation of fibroblasts and growth factors which promote cellular healing. Although pain resolves during this phase, re-injury is common because the healing tissue does not have the same tensile strength as mature tissue [3,16].…”

“…The maturation (remodeling) phase of tissue healing is also associated with reduced cellularity and vascularity, cross-linking of the mature collagen fibers, and scar tissue maturation. Tissue healing continues well past the resolution of the patient's symptoms; therefore, proper rehabilitation and correction of underlying form defects as well as strength and neuromuscular control imbalances are critical in preventing re-injury [3,16].…”