What happens before return-to-sport programme?

The assessment starts with your injury and treatment history, current symptoms and sport demands. The clinician may observe walking, jogging, landing, balance, cutting, throwing or sport-specific positions. They compare sides where useful and look for swelling, hesitation, poor alignment or loss of control.

A return plan is usually staged: daily activity, straight-line movement, drills, practice and then competition. The exact sequence depends on the tissue and procedure. Achilles tendon repair, ACL reconstruction and meniscus repair each have different healing limits, so clearance is individual.

Bring details of your sport, position, training surface and usual schedule. Record symptoms during and after activity, including swelling the next day. Follow the prescribed strengthening and mobility work, build load gradually, and do not use a single good session as proof that every sport demand is safe. Discuss footwear, bracing and contact drills with your team.

Stop progression and contact your clinician for recurrent swelling, giving way, locking, a new pop with pain, marked loss of movement, or pain that persists or escalates after training. Sudden calf swelling, chest pain or breathlessness needs urgent medical attention.

Ask which tests you must pass, how recovery is judged, what training load is allowed now, and who makes the final clearance decision. Ask how to respond to swelling or soreness after a session.