Prepare athletes to return to sport following an injury.
Bridging the gap between acute physical therapy and sport performance, The Return to Sport Guidebook: Advancing the Athlete From Rehab to Peak Performance guides strength and conditioning coaches through the process of rebuilding athlete strength, power, speed, and agility for both upper- and lower-body injuries. Unlike other resources that provide philosophies and theoretical approaches, this book includes actionable steps such as sample programs and case studies.
In the early chapters you'll explore the rationale for approaching return to sport (RTS), including the role of the strength and conditioning professional, the impact of pain on the healing process, and the different phases of rebuilding after an injury. Later, the authors provide foundational movement skills that athletes need to master. Images accompany these descriptions, making it easy to reference when working with an athlete.
After laying the foundation of RTS rationale and basic movement types, coaches will find detailed sample programs and progressions to use with their athletes. The upper- and lower-body programs take you through all the phases of rebuilding, maximizing performance while reducing the risk of reinjury.
With 84 lower-body and 50 upper-body exercises, The Return to Sport Guidebook is an invaluable resource for any coach looking to effectively guide athletes through their rehabilitation journey. Each exercise includes rehab considerations, making it easy to identify when the exercise may be best used and with what injury types. A sample ACL rehab program with descriptions of exercises and drills used throughout the RTS progression is provided.
The return-to-sport process is a long and challenging one. By implementing the exercises and programs in this guidebook, strength and conditioning coaches can feel confident that they are helping their athletes safely rebuild and return to the court or field.
Earn continuing education credits/units! A continuing education exam that uses this book is also available. It may be purchased separately or as part of a package that includes both the book and exam.