Andrew Mitchell, Mark Palmer, Mo Gimpel

How to return to performance (RTP) after injury is unclear. A lack of consensus on valid objective criteria, and inconsistency in thresholds to achieve prior to RTP can lead to inadequate rehabilitation, premature RTP and reinjury. This RTP pathway offers a framework and recommendations for a multidisciplinary team (MDT) on how recondition an injured player from the onset of injury, back to performance. The pathway design is time-independent and provides clear phases with exit criteria for mild, moderate or severe injuries to facilitate informed decisions. Each phase is named to provide a common language to improve day-to-day communication between practitioners, players and coaches.