Forte Physical Therapy

🚨 Do NOT return to sport after a shoulder dislocation until you pass these 5 tests.
This applies to non-surgical shoulder dislocations.
Feeling better ≠ being ready. Athletes who return too soon after a first-time shoulder dislocation have some of the highest re-injury rates in sports medicine.
Before testing, we want:
✅ Full, pain-free shoulder ROM
✅ Negative apprehension testing
The 5 tests:
1️⃣ Timeline
• Minimum 12 weeks post-injury before RTS testing
2️⃣ Rotator Cuff Strength @ 90° Abduction
• IR >30% BW
• ER >20% BW
• 95-100% symmetry
3️⃣ Countermovement Push-Up
• Tolerated pain-free
• ≥90% symmetry in peak power
• ≥90% symmetry in braking impulse
4️⃣ Upper Body Strength & Power
• Push Press: Males >75% BW, Females >50% BW
• Med Ball Throws: ≥90% symmetry
• Drop Catch Rows: Males >60% BW, Females >40% BW
5️⃣ Sport-Specific Testing
• Progress from controlled drills → reactive drills → full-intensity sport
Returning safely requires more than pain-free movement. Your shoulder must prove it can produce force, absorb force, and tolerate the specific demands of your sport.

Do not return to sport after ACL surgery until you pass these 5 milestones 👇

1️⃣ Minimum 9 months post-op
Returning before 9 months = up to 7x higher re-rupture risk ⚠️

2️⃣ Quad strength symmetry ≥90%
Less than 90% symmetry = 1/3 chance of re-tearing ‼️
PLUS: strength should be >0.7x bodyweight per leg to avoid “false symmetry” from a weak uninvolved side.

3️⃣ Triple Hop Test Distance
Men: ≥2.8x body height distance
Women: ≥2.5x body height distance
AND ≥90% limb symmetry index.

4️⃣ Reactive Strength Testing
Double leg drop jump RSI >1.3 m/s
Single leg drop jump RSI >0.5 m/s
Your knee needs to absorb + produce force quickly for cutting, sprinting, and change of direction.

5️⃣ Sport-specific change of direction testing
You should be able to perform reactive 90° and 180° cuts/pivots with NO pain, instability, or hesitation.

Kyritsis et al (2016) found that athletes that did not meet objective functional discharge criteria had a 4x greater ACL re-rupture rate.

ACL return-to-sport decisions should be based on objective testing not JUST timelines.

How many times did you spot LeBron? 👀
***

Rolled your ankle recently?

Rest alone isn’t enough.

Research shows that early, progressive loading leads to better long-term outcomes and reduces your risk of re-injury.

In this video, we walk through 4 tests you should be able to pass before returning to sport. These cover things like strength, stability, and your ability to handle impact, because feeling “fine” isn’t the same as being ready.

Up to 40% of ankle sprains turn into chronic instability, and a big reason is incomplete rehab or going back too soon.

At Forte, we make sure you’re actually ready for the demands of your sport by building back stronger than before.

We test. We don’t guess.