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 medicine physical therapist.

Sports medicine specialists utilize the motion analysis center’s (MAC) technology and research for young athletes. Providers send their patients to the MAC for comprehensive RTS testing to find objective and quantitative information to help with clinical decisions for the athlete’s sports medicine rehabilitation and to assess the potential risk of re-injury.

The MAC team performs functional and performance assessments. “These studies provide precise, objective assessment data for the physical therapist and physician to help tailor the patient’s treatment plan; ultimately helping get them to a place where they are biomechanically ready to return to the demands of their sport," Kris Holden, MAC physical therapist, said.

Return to sport is a complex process that varies depending on the individual, the injury and the patient’s chosen sport. Utilizing the MAC for RTS assessment is just one more way Shriners Children’s Spokane embraces state-of-the-art technology to provide patients with individualized treatment plans, which include data-driven assessments throughout their care journey.