Rehabilitation is the Critical Ingredient to Optimize Return to Sport in Athletes

Medical providers, rehabilitation specialists, and researchers must incessantly refine and adjust specific protocols, understanding that rehabilitation is the critical ingredient for return to sport in athletes. This month introduces a Special Issue in Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation entitled "Rehabilitation and Return to Sport in Athletes." The articles have been authored by invited experts and rehabilitation specialists deemed thought leaders. The goal of the issue is to provide readers, researchers, and clinicians high-yield and high-impact articles that will optimize return to sport in athletes. For athletes, and non-athletes alike, there lies an essential quartet for recovery: 1) correct diagnosis, 2) restoration of anatomy, 3) biological healing, and 4) functional rehabilitation. Most importantly, a coordinated rehabilitation program must be chosen with appropriate specialization to synchronize the return to play. This Special Issue explores specific rehabilitation paradigms regarding return to sport using evidence-based medicine with support from literature to optimize the functional return of athletes.