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2016 Consensus statement on return to sport from the First World Congress in Sports Physical Therapy, Bern
Clare L Ardern1, Philip Glasgow2, Anthony Schneiders3
1Aspetar Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar Division of Physiotherapy, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden School of Allied Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
British Journal of Sports Medicine
|May 27, 2016
Summary
Returning athletes to sport requires careful risk management, viewing the process as a continuum alongside recovery. Biopsychosocial models and risk assessment frameworks aid decision-making when evidence is scarce.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Rehabilitation Science
- Clinical Decision-Making
Background:
- Return to sport decisions are complex, multifactorial, and involve risk management.
- These decisions are made daily by clinicians, athletes, and coaches, ideally collaboratively.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize current evidence on return to sport decision-making.
- To provide recommendations for clinical practice and future research in sports rehabilitation.
Main Methods:
- A consensus meeting involving 17 expert clinicians was held.
- Participants formed groups to discuss and summarize key issues before reaching consensus.
Main Results:
- Return to sport is a continuum, paralleling recovery and rehabilitation, not an isolated event.
- Biopsychosocial models and the Strategic Assessment of Risk and Risk Tolerance framework can aid decision-making.
Conclusions:
- Evidence supporting return to sport decisions in clinical practice is limited.
- Future research should standardize outcome measurement and identify prognostic factors for return to sport.
