“Feeling fine” is not a clearance test. We rebuild athletes with measured strength, hop, and movement criteria — because the difference between passing and failing those tests is the difference between playing and re-tearing.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Thomas Kleingartner, PT, DPT · August 2026
Return-to-sport rehabilitation bridges the gap between "cleared by the surgeon" and truly ready to play. Athletes who pass objective return-to-sport criteria have been shown to reinjure at 5.6% versus 38.2% for those who fail them, and each extra month of rehab between months six and nine after ACL reconstruction cuts reinjury risk by about half. RISE Physical Therapy runs criteria-based return-to-sport programs one-on-one in Boise and Nampa, Idaho.
Return-to-sport rehabilitation is the late stage of recovery that most injured athletes never actually get: the structured bridge between basic healing and the cutting, sprinting, landing, and collision demands of real sport. Surgery fixes the tissue and early rehab restores daily function — but the leap from "walks without pain" to "decelerates at full speed in traffic" is where reinjuries are born.
The problem is well documented. Athletes who return after ACL reconstruction without meeting objective criteria reinjure at alarming rates — especially athletes under 25 returning to pivoting sports. This phase of rehab exists to close that gap with measurement instead of guesswork.
Return-to-sport decisions built on objective criteria measurably change outcomes. The key findings we build our testing on:
Athletes who passed return-to-sport test batteries after ACL reconstruction had a 5.6% reinjury rate versus 38.2% in those who failed — a sevenfold difference.
View study →Delaying return to at least nine months post-ACL reconstruction matters: each additional month between six and nine reduced reinjury risk by roughly 51%.
View source →Quadriceps strength symmetry of at least 90% versus the uninjured side is the accepted clearance threshold — and every 1% improvement correlates with about 3% lower reinjury risk.
View source →Strength symmetry, psychological readiness, and movement quality — not time alone — were the factors most associated with safe, successful return to sport.
View study →Cookie-cutter protocols end at "no pain, full range." Our return-to-sport programs are built backwards from your sport’s actual demands, tested with objective criteria, and coached one-on-one for a full 45 minutes every session.
Baseline strength, hop, and movement testing shows exactly where you stand against clearance criteria.
Targeted strength and plyometric progressions attack your specific deficits — often with BFR when loading is limited.
Sport-specific sessions under fatigue until you pass every criterion — then a structured ramp back to full play.
Criteria-based return-to-sport rehab, coached one-on-one — no referral needed in Idaho.
Thomas earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy at South College in Knoxville and specializes in lower-extremity post-operative care, sports rehab, and orthopedic conditions at RISE. Meet the full team →
