Bridge Program
Athlete’s Return to Play
Often after the completion of physical therapy athletes are medically cleared to return to play but not physically prepared for the rigors of competition. The Bridge program is designed to close the gap betwadapting to the training program
The process of deciding when an injured athlete may safely return to practice or competition.The main criterion is emphasizing sport-specific functional progression, focusing on:
- Closed kinetic chain exercises
- To further enhance neuromuscular control
- Joint angle specific strengthening
These exercises are used to transition from general exercises to sport specific exercise
- Increased vigorous activity should be introduced to prepare the damaged tissue for more sport specific training
- Incorporating strength and conditioning programs and sport specific activities
Focusing on the restoration of injured athlete’s ability to adhere to physiology and biomechanical movements of the sport
- Load monitoring can aid in the determination if an athlete is adapting to the training program
Minimizing the risk of developing non-functional overreach, illness and injury
Can be measured by:
- Power output measuring devices
- Isometric mid-thigh pulls
- Time motion analysis
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