Returning to sport after an injury: why rushing is your worst enemy

For people who practise sport, being forced to stop because of an injury is often one of the most difficult situations to accept. After days or weeks away from training, the desire to return can easily take over. This is an understandable reaction: sport is not only physical activity, but also a source of wellbeing, social interaction and personal motivation.

However, this very impatience can become the main obstacle to recovery. Returning to training too early, before fully regaining strength, movement control and the ability to tolerate physical loads, significantly increases the risk of reinjury.

In recent years, the concept of returning to sport has changed considerably. In the past, the disappearance of pain was often the main criterion considered. Today, however, several different factors are assessed to determine whether the body is genuinely ready to resume physical activity safely.

Understanding these principles helps prevent mistakes that could compromise weeks of rehabilitation and allows athletes to return to sport with greater confidence.

One of the most common mistakes is believing that the absence of pain means that the injury has completely healed.

In reality, pain is only one of the factors that must be assessed.

A person may no longer experience discomfort during everyday activities but may still have weaker muscles, less stable joints or altered movement patterns. Under these conditions, the injured tissue may not yet be ready to tolerate the demands of the chosen sport.

For this reason, returning to sport should never be based exclusively on how you feel at a particular moment, but on a complete functional assessment.

The term Return To Play refers to the process that accompanies an athlete from the end of the acute phase of an injury through to a complete return to sporting activity.

It is not a single moment, but a gradual process involving several stages.

Recovery generally includes:

• resuming normal daily activities;
• restoring mobility;
• rebuilding strength;
• returning to progressive training;
• resuming full training sessions;
• returning to competition.

Skipping any of these stages increases the risk that the body may not yet be ready to cope with the physical demands of the sport.

There is no single rehabilitation protocol that is suitable for everyone.

A runner’s return to sport will be different from that of a footballer, tennis player or cyclist.

Each discipline involves specific movements, different speeds, changes of direction, jumps, physical contact or repetitive actions.

Even two people with the same injury may therefore follow different rehabilitation programmes, depending on the sport they practise, their activity level and their personal goals.

This is one of the reasons why standardised programmes are rarely the best option.

Losing some strength during a period of inactivity is normal.

Even a few weeks away from training can reduce muscular capacity, affecting joint stability, balance and movement control.

Restoring strength is essential before returning to sport.

Simply comparing the injured limb with the healthy one is not always sufficient. In some cases, it is also necessary to assess movement quality, physical endurance and the ability to produce force in situations that reflect the demands of the sport.

Strength is only one part of the recovery process.

An athlete must also be able to control their body during rapid movements, changes of direction, landings, accelerations and decelerations.

For this reason, modern rehabilitation places significant emphasis on exercises that improve balance, coordination, neuromuscular control and the ability to respond to external stimuli.

These skills are essential for reducing the risk of further injuries.

Another very common mistake is attempting to make up for lost time by completing several training sessions within just a few days.

After an injury, tissues need time to gradually adapt to physical loads again. Increasing the intensity, duration or frequency of training too quickly can expose muscles, tendons and joints to stresses that exceed their actual capacity.

Returning to sport should follow a progression based on the individual’s characteristics and the body’s response to different forms of exercise, rather than being driven solely by enthusiasm to resume training.

Recovering from an injury also involves an emotional component that is often underestimated.

Many athletes are afraid of repeating the same movement that caused the injury. Others feel completely recovered too early and increase their training load without taking the necessary precautions.

Both attitudes can negatively affect recovery.

Confidence in one’s own body is therefore another important criterion when returning to sport, alongside physical and functional factors.

Many recurrent injuries are not caused by the severity of the initial injury, but by suboptimal management of the recovery process.

The most common mistakes include:

• stopping physiotherapy as soon as the pain decreases;
• skipping certain stages of rehabilitation;
• immediately resuming the usual training routine;
• comparing your recovery time with that of other athletes;
• neglecting strength and injury-prevention exercises.

Every person recovers at a different pace. Trying to speed up the process rarely brings benefits and increases the risk of having to start again from the beginning.

Today, the decision to resume sporting activity is not based on a single parameter.

The physiotherapist takes several factors into consideration, including:

• movement quality;
• muscular strength;
• balance and neuromuscular control;
• joint mobility;
• load tolerance;
• confidence when performing sport-specific movements.

Considering all these elements together makes it possible to determine whether the body is genuinely ready to meet the demands of the chosen sport.

At TI-FISIO in Mendrisio, the return to sport is planned through a personalised programme whose sole objective is not simply the disappearance of pain, but the complete restoration of function.

Every rehabilitation programme begins with a thorough assessment and is adapted to the sport practised, the athlete’s level and the goals they wish to achieve.

During the rehabilitation process, key aspects are monitored, including:

✔️ joint mobility;

✔️ muscular strength;

✔️ movement control;

✔️ load tolerance;

✔️ recovery of sport-specific movements.

The aim is to enable a gradual return to training, minimising the risk of reinjury as much as possible and promoting stable, long-term recovery.

Every injury is part of an athlete’s sporting journey, but it does not have to become a permanent obstacle. Taking the appropriate amount of time to recover means investing in both your health and your future performance.

If you are currently preparing to return to sport after an injury or would like to recover safely before resuming training, the TI-FISIO team in Mendrisio is available to support you. Through a thorough physiotherapy assessment and a personalised programme, you can return to your chosen activity with greater safety, confidence and awareness, reducing the risk of reinjury and rediscovering the pleasure of practising the sport you love.

+41 91 940 10 20

info@ti-fisio.ch

Via Ceresio 42, Pregassona.

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+41 (0)91 229 69 80

mendrisio@ti-fisio.ch

Via Giuseppe Motta, 6a, Mendrisio