Sports Rehabilitation

Sports rehabilitation is the structured recovery programme that takes an injured athlete, recreational or professional, from the day of injury or surgery back to full training and competition. It is run by sports physicians and sports physiotherapists, with strength and conditioning coaches.

Progress is based on passing criteria, such as strength, range of movement and hop tests, not simply on the calendar. Returning too early is the main cause of re-injury, and healing tissue sets limits that no therapy can shorten: a reconstructed ACL graft, for example, needs at least 9 months.

Conditions this service looks after

• Anterior cruciate ligament injury, before and after reconstruction
• Meniscus and cartilage injuries
• Ankle sprains and chronic ankle instability
• Hamstring, quadriceps, calf and groin muscle strains
• Achilles, patellar and rotator cuff tendinopathy
• Shoulder dislocation and labral repair
• Tennis and golfer's elbow
• Stress fractures and shin pain
• Runner's knee and iliotibial band pain
• Recovery after hip arthroscopy

Tests you may be offered

• Clinical and movement assessment: Examination of joints plus analysis of squatting, landing and running mechanics.
• Isokinetic strength testing: A dynamometer compares the quadriceps and hamstrings with the uninjured leg. A deficit under 10 per cent is a common return target.
• Hop and agility tests: Functional tests of power and control used in return-to-sport decisions.
• Ultrasound and MRI: Confirm the grade of a muscle or tendon injury and guide the prognosis.
• Gait and running analysis: Video or pressure-plate analysis for overuse injuries.

Treatments available

• Early-phase care: Protection, swelling control and restoring range of movement, with optimal loading instead of prolonged rest.
• Progressive strengthening: Including heavy slow resistance and eccentric loading programmes, which are the mainstay for tendinopathy.
• Neuromuscular and balance training: Rebuilds joint control and lowers the risk of repeat ankle and knee injury.
• Sport-specific drills: Running, cutting, jumping and throwing progressions with monitored loads.
• Adjuncts: Manual therapy, taping, shockwave therapy for some tendinopathies and blood flow restriction training. PRP injections have mixed evidence.
• Injury prevention programmes: Warm-up routines such as FIFA 11+ reduce lower limb injuries.

When to ask for a specialist opinion

• Pain or swelling persists more than 1 to 2 weeks after an injury
• A joint gives way or feels unstable
• You are planning or recovering from sports surgery
• The same muscle or tendon injury keeps returning
• You need objective testing before returning to competition

Travelling to Türkiye for this care

Rehabilitation is a process of months, so a trip can only cover part of it. What works well: a 1 to 2 week intensive block with assessment, strength testing and a detailed programme you continue with a physiotherapist at home; the first fortnight after an operation performed in Istanbul; or return-to-sport testing late in recovery. Share the surgeon's protocol with your home therapist before you travel. Remote check-ins by video can bridge the gaps, but hands-on reassessment at each phase is better done locally.

Send your reports, scans and a short history and a Clinic-Y coordinator replies within 24 hours with suitable teams and written, all-inclusive proposals side by side. Reviewing your case is free.

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