Shoulder injuries commonly impact athletes at amateur and professional levels and can impact athletic performance, training and activities of daily living. Despite the prevalence and impact of shoulder injuries, there is a lack of high-quality evidence to guide clinicians, athletes and coaches in appropriate management and return to sport (RTS) following injury. 

 

Sportfisio Swiss (the Swiss Sports Physiotherapy Association), supported by the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT) convened a consensus development group to synthesize evidence and establish best practices in shoulder injury prevention, rehabilitation, and RTS. 

 

The group aimed to develop a principle-based framework to guide: 1) managing injury risk; 2) managing and progressing load; 3) rehabilitation; and 4) RTS with respect to shoulder injuries.