Return to Play (RTP) is the multi-stage process of progressing an athlete from injury through to full-competition readiness. Modern RTP frameworks (e.g. the Strategic Assessment of Risk and Risk Tolerance, StARRT) treat it as a continuum: return-to-running, return-to-training, return-to-competition, return-to-performance.
RTP criteria typically combine subjective markers (athlete confidence, no pain) with objective benchmarks (e.g. isokinetic strength symmetry > 90%, hop-test symmetry > 90%, sprint times within 5% of pre-injury baseline). Pure time-based protocols ("6 weeks post-surgery") are increasingly considered insufficient on their own.
Performance House surfaces RTP readiness alongside wellness check-ins and the Performance Index, so progress against pre-injury baselines is visible to both coach and athlete.
Where it's used
Athletic-training rooms, physio practices, professional and college sport medicine departments.
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