Return to Sports

Have you sustained a recent injury in your sport, such as an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear? Have you undergone rehabilitation treatments for your sports injury? Do you feel ready to get back into the game? If you’ve answered yes to all these questions, you may be ready for a “Return to Sports Assessment.” These assessments will evaluate your physical performance and function to determine if you are ready to return to your activity or sport. For more information, contact Virginia Center for Spine & Sports Therapy today.

ACL injuries are some of the most common sports-related injuries that our Midlothian, VA physical therapists treat. Such complex injuries always require a Return to Sports Assessment, as there is a lot of recovery and rehabilitation that needs to be taken into account. Also referred to as “Movement Assessments,” Return to Sports Assessments evaluate the symmetry, power, strength, balance, and readiness of the affected body part in relation to returning to the desired sport.

Return to Sports Assessments have proven successful in determining patients’ preparedness for returning to the demands of certain physical activities. For example, a study titled “Self-Reported Fear Predicts Functional Performance and Second ACL Injury After ACL Reconstruction and Return to Sport: A Pilot Study,” from the National Institutes of Health focuses on that very topic.

In the study, it states that 23.5% of participating patients sustained a second ACL injury just 12 months after their ACL reconstruction, while 37.5% sustained a non-contact tear just 24 months after their ACL reconstruction. These statistics demonstrate why Return to Sports Assessments are so important – far too many athletes return to the demands of their sports before they are ready!

If you are finishing up your physical therapy treatments for a sports injury you recently sustained, contact Virginia Center for Spine & Sports Therapy today at Midlothian, VA to schedule a Return to Sports Assessment. Our Midlothian, VA physical therapy office is dedicated to helping athletes regain their function and get back to doing the activities they love!