Getting Back in the Game: How Sports Chiropractors Use Advanced Movement Testing to Safely Return Athletes to Competition
When an athlete suffers an injury, the burning question isn’t just “when will the pain go away?” but rather “when can I safely return to my sport without risking re-injury?” This critical decision-making process has evolved far beyond simply waiting for pain to subside. Today’s sports medicine professionals, particularly sports chiropractors, are using sophisticated return-to-play protocols that incorporate functional movement testing to ensure athletes make a safe and successful comeback.
The Evolution of Return-to-Play Decision Making
Return-to-play (RTP) is a multifactorial process of returning an injured athlete back to competition when risk for re-injury is minimized. RTP decisions continue to be a challenging task for the medical practitioner. Gone are the days when return-to-play decisions were based solely on subjective reports of pain relief or the passage of time since injury.
Using specific objective functional tests and predetermined criteria minimizes the reliance on the subjective element alone during athlete progression and provides everyone involved in the process with known, pre-established, measurable markers and goals that must be achieved prior to progressing to practice and returning to competition. This evidence-based approach represents a fundamental shift in how sports medicine professionals approach athlete safety and performance optimization.
The Science Behind Functional Movement Testing
Functional performance testing (FPT) may objectively measure progress and determine rehabilitation effectiveness as well as whether the athlete is safe to return to full sports participation. Safe execution of athletics requires multiple components of physical performance including muscular strength, power, endurance, flexibility, balance, proprioception, speed, agility, and functional movement patterns.
The Functional Movement Screen (FMS)™ is a screening system that attempts to allow the professional to assess the fundamental movement patterns of an individual. Such a screening system may also provide a crucial tool to assist in determining readiness to return to sport at the completion of rehabilitation after injury or surgery.
We move differently after injury and this must be addressed. The Functional Movement Screen helps us identify the movements of concern and asymmetries with movement that have been shown to influence potential of re-injury.
How Sports Chiropractors Implement Movement Testing
Sports chiropractors are uniquely positioned to utilize functional movement testing due to their comprehensive understanding of biomechanics and movement patterns. This screen goes beyond simply evaluating patients’ pain and looks into the way their body moves as a whole so they don’t end up back in pain or experiencing re-injury. FMS helps us determine our course of treatment and programming decisions. This screen allows us to identify what movement patterns our patients move well in and what movement patterns need to be protected or corrected.
Functional Movement Screening is a tool used to identify hidden weaknesses, prevent injuries, and improve sports performance. The screening consists of seven tests that evaluate mobility and stability during certain movements. The results of the screening can help tailor a training program to correct faults, reduce injuries, and improve function.
The Comprehensive Assessment Process
The Y Balance Test Protocol emerged from years of research in injury prevention and identification of motor control changes that occur after injury. This protocol is highly accurate for measuring pre and post rehabilitation performance, improvement after performance enhancement programs, dynamic balance for fitness programs, and return to sport readiness.
A 90 minute initial assessment completed by corrective exercise & performance enhancement specialist will include a review of medical history and training experience, testing of strength, mobility, flexibility, posture and a functional movement screen. Following the assessment, a comprehensive strength and conditioning program will be designed around the athlete’s needs.
The Multi-Phase Return-to-Play Protocol
The first step in the sequential progression of shoulder injury rehabilitation involves the restoration of function through sport-specific training for athletes returning to competition. This must include the ability to successfully and asymptomatically perform sports specific drills including plyometrics, agility drills, end range proprioceptive exercises, and perturbation drills in the clinical setting. These drills differ by sport and activity but should mimic the activity demands and nature of the sport in a progressive and sequential manner.
Return to Play (RTP) is a structured, sport-specific therapy program designed to prepare individuals for the physical and mental demands of athletic performance after injury. Like general rehabilitation, RTP focuses on agility, strength, balance, neuromuscular control, and movement mechanics to reduce the risk of reinjury.
Expert Care in Grand Rapids
For athletes in the Grand Rapids area seeking comprehensive sport chiropractic care, Chiropractic First has been serving the community since 1998. Located at 403 44th Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49548, the practice has built a reputation for providing personalized treatment approaches.
At Chiropractic First in Wyoming, our main goal has always been to provide personalized chiropractic treatment at a reasonable price. Our Chiropractor utilizes the latest and greatest chiropractic techniques, promoting faster recovery time with shorter treatment time. You can be sure that our team is focused on getting you to your healthiest!
The Future of Return-to-Play Protocols
Functional performance tests can help determine when an athlete can return to unrestricted activity. However, further research is desperately needed in this area to determine how adaptations during functional tests can be measured and quantified. Additionally, a lack of standardization exists, as little information is known about how various tests relate to one another and which tests are best to use in isolation or in combination as a means to assess a broad range of function.
Despite these challenges, the integration of functional movement testing into return-to-play protocols represents a significant advancement in sports medicine. By combining objective movement assessment with clinical expertise, sports chiropractors can make more informed decisions about when athletes are truly ready to return to competition safely.
Taking Action for Your Athletic Future
The patient must return to sport without the fear of re-injury (kinesiophobia), fear that the shoulder is not ready, or any apprehension during shoulder movement. This psychological component, combined with objective functional testing, ensures that athletes return to their sport with both physical readiness and mental confidence.
For athletes recovering from injury or looking to prevent future problems, working with a sports chiropractor who utilizes functional movement testing can be the difference between a successful return to sport and a cycle of recurring injuries. The investment in proper assessment and graduated return-to-play protocols pays dividends in long-term athletic performance and career longevity.