Using the Motion Analysis Center for Return to Sport Readiness

A critical part of sports injury recovery is assessing an athlete's readiness to return to activity. That is why Shriners Children's Spokane's sports medicine program continues to expand and evolve its specialty care services. Sports injury patients receive care from a multidisciplinary team within the sports health and medicine program, including sports medicine physicians, sports medicine physical therapists, strength and conditioning specialists, and athletic trainers.

After an injury, returning to activity too soon is one of the biggest risk factors for re-injury. Allowing young athletes the time to fully recover and return safely through a structured Return to Sport (RTS) protocol is critical to protecting long-term health. Shriners Children's Spokane's RTS program is a systematic treatment approach to injury recovery, designed to ensure patients can safely and effectively resume participating in their chosen sport or physical activity.

Allowing young athletes the time to fully recover and return safely through a structured RTS protocol is critical to protecting long-term health. The sports medicine team tests, measures and tracks progress to ensure young athletes are truly ready to return.

"Our goal isn't just a return to play - we are committed to using evidence-based programs and proven protocols to ensure our patients are strong enough to return to sport with confidence," said Kelly Bartleson, MPT, OCS, CMPT, Shriners Children's Spokane sports medicinephysical therapist.