Coming back from injury without the fear

Stage one: calm the thing down

First job is reducing irritation, not building strength. Manual therapy, isometrics, and whatever movement doesn't aggravate the site — people are always shocked how much training they can keep doing around an injury.

Skipping this stage to 'keep the fitness up' is the single most common way a six-week problem becomes a six-month one.

Stage two: rebuild the capacity

Graduated loading, filmed and measured — we use the lab's force plates and velocity tracking because 'it feels fine' isn't data. Tendons and tissue adapt to load; the job is handing them the right dose.

This is the boring middle week everyone skips. The tissue isn't ready because it doesn't hurt — it's ready when it tolerates the numbers.

Stage three: prove it under speed

Return-to-sport testing before you're cleared: hop tests, deceleration work, fatigue-resistance under actual session load. Most re-injuries happen at this stage because people test themselves in the mirror instead.

Clear the protocol and you get a graduated return plan — not a shrug and 'go easy for a bit'.

Who runs it

Our rehab is physio-led with the coaches looping in on programming — an in-house team, not a referral chain. If you're mid-injury now, book a consult through the concierge.