.png)
Six weeks is a guess. Here are the criteria we test before anyone goes back, and the mistakes that put people out for a second time.
Somebody has told you six weeks. Somebody else has said see how it feels. Neither is much use when you've got a season running or a race booked.
Here's how we actually decide, and why a date on a calendar is the weakest way to make the call.
Tissue healing follows a rough timeline, so time isn't meaningless. What it can't tell you is whether you've rebuilt the capacity you lost while you were out.
Two people six weeks after the same injury can be in completely different places depending on what they did in those six weeks. One has been loading progressively. The other has been resting and waiting for the date.
Returning on criteria rather than on time is associated with lower reinjury rates. It also means the decision is based on something you can see.
Reduce what's irritating the tissue, keep moving where you sensibly can, and get symptoms to a manageable level. This is the shortest stage and the one people think is the whole thing.
Load the tissue deliberately and progressively. Close the strength gap against the other side. This is the longest stage and the one most commonly skipped.
General strength doesn't automatically transfer. If your sport involves changing direction, sprinting, jumping or contact, those demands have to be rehearsed before you meet them at full speed with someone else involved.
Before full return, we check strength against the other side, capacity under fatigue, and how you move at speed rather than slowly.
Going back when the pain stops. Pain settles early. Capacity comes back slowly.
Stopping rehab once you're back. The first few weeks of return are the highest risk period, which is exactly when most people stop the strength work.
Returning to full training in one step. Partial training, then full training, then competition. Not all three in a week.
Ignoring the deadline problem. If there's a fixed date, say so early. It changes what we prioritise, and we'd rather tell you honestly whether it's realistic than find out together on the day.
If you're coming back from injury and want to know where you actually are rather than where the calendar says you should be, book in. We'll test it and give you a straight answer.
Give us a call and we will talk you through what we think is best for your recovery.
Perhaps you've been here before. A long wait that went nowhere, or a sheet of exercises and no real plan. If you're unsure whether we're the right fit, you don't have to book anything to find out.
Tell us what's going on and we'll come back to you honestly and let you know how we can help.
