Return to Sport: Why Time Alone Isn’t a Rehab Plan

I see a lot of players from our local soccer/football/netball leagues coming in with a vast array of injuries. What’s common between them is the same question – “How long until I am back?”

From experience, it is a tricky question to answer. There are many variables that come into play, therefore accurate estimates of a return to sport time are difficult. Someone may have a higher baseline in strength or plyometric ability. Another may not. Someone may have a very positive outlook with returning. Another may not. The variables are endless.

We can use our assessments and what the research says to estimate the time frame and it may give us a guide. But the most important factor is not time alone – it’s probably your rehab.

A scenario:

A senior football player, lets call him Jack, comes to see me with a hamstring strain from last weekend. It’s a decent one – grade 2. We do our assessment and see a severe reduction in his strength, endurance and range of motion. We give him some initial exercises to get started with – perhaps the Askling exercises.

Jack is eager to get back – the pressures of performing for himself and the team, the loss of income due to not playing and of course the mental side of things, missing out on the sport he loves.

Jack asks me – “so how long until I’m back”

I respond with – “based off your measures and the research for grade 2 strains, you are likely 6 weeks away from returning”

Now that all sounds good, but this can go two ways in Jack’s mind.

1. “Okay, so in these 6 weeks I need to rebuild my capacity through progressive exercise and loading, then I might be ready to return to sport pending what my assessment measures are like” – the correct option.
2. “Sweet, if I just do these same exercises for 6 weeks I will be all good to return to playing at exactly 6 weeks” – the incorrect option

Time alone is not a rehab plan. This mindset will likely result in reoccurrence of the injury due to not rebuilding capacity then resulting in more time lost due to injury.

There are steps to a rehab plan that bridge the gap from the injury to performing at your top level.

From basic exercises to desensitise the area and increase range of motion, to starting some strength training progressing to very heavy loads, and lastly returning to plyometric and power drills such as hopping, sprinting and jumping. NOT – do these 3 exercises for the entirety of a 6 week period to return saying “she’ll be right”.