The most common mistake after an injury: returning to full sport as soon as the pain is gone. But pain going away doesn't always mean the tissue has fully healed or that muscle strength has returned to match the healthy side, the risk of re-injury actually increases in this phase.
A safer return-to-play approach is staged: starting with basic unloaded movement, then targeted strength training, then sport-specific movement at low intensity, and finally back to full team training, each stage has objective criteria to progress, not just a 'feels okay' gut check.
Those objective criteria can include a strength test compared to the healthy side (usually targeting at least 90%), a single-leg balance test, or the ability to perform sport-specific movement without compensation or fear of re-injury.
Rushing back to play is a common cause of repeat injuries worse than the first one. A physiotherapist guiding this staging helps ensure the 'ready to play' decision is based on data, not pressure to get back on the field quickly.
