clear your athletes with criteria,
not timelines
Learn how to make evidence-backed clearance decisions without second-guessing, force plates, or spending hours combing the research.
You weren't taught this in school.
Nobody was.
PT school prepared you for the early stages of rehab. It did not prepare you to navigate the moment a 17-year-old soccer player, six months post-op, asks if she can play in Friday's championship game.
So you do what most PTs do. You make a decision based off of time, gut feel, and maybe a couple hop tests you looked up on your lunch break.
Either way, you make the call and hope you got it right.
You and your athlete deserve better than guessing.
There’s a better way to make the call
The ACL Return-to-Sport Clearance Protocol is a structured, evidence-based decision-making framework built for real clinical settings. Normal clinics without force plates, isokinetic machines, or a turf field out back.
It tells you exactly what to assess, how to interpret what you find, and how to confidently have the conversation with your athlete, their parents, and their coach.
A look inside the protocol
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Every test in the protocol has a dedicated video walkthrough — setup, cueing, what to watch for, and what the numbers mean. Quad isometric testing with inline dynamometry, three hop tests across multiple planes, and psychological readiness assessment. You will know exactly what to do before your athlete walks in the door.
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Numbers without context are just numbers. This section walks through how to interpret green, yellow, and red findings across every domain, how to weigh borderline results against the athlete in front of you, and how to use the STAART framework to make a decision that is both defensible and genuinely individualized. Two mock patient cases with identical data and different clinical outcomes show the framework in action.
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Most courses end at the test. This one covers what happens after. You will get a structured post-clearance roadmap, a framework for graduated return to participation, and guidance on communicating with coaches, athletic trainers, and surgeons after discharge, including a surgeon communication template you can fill out and send before the six month visit.
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Every threshold, every classification, and every clinical recommendation in this protocol is tied to a specific citation. The companion document walks through the research behind each section so you can explain your reasoning to a skeptical colleague, a pushy coach, or a nervous parent without hesitation.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Not at this time. The protocol is designed as a practical clinical tool, not a formal continuing education course. That said, the evidence base and clinical reasoning throughout are built to the standard you would expect from accredited content.
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No. The Blueprint covers the full return to sport programming framework including strength, plyometrics, and sport-specific preparation. The Clearance Protocol is specifically focused on the testing battery and clearance decision at the end of that process. They are designed to complement each other, not repeat each other.
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Yes. Every test in the protocol has a dedicated video walkthrough showing setup, execution, and what to look for. You are not left to figure out the mechanics on your own.
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Yes. If the protocol is updated based on new evidence or clinician feedback, you will have access to the updated version at no additional cost.
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Lifetime. Purchase once and it is yours.
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This is especially useful for newer clinicians. Most PT programs do not teach a structured return to sport framework. This gives you a defensible system and the clinical reasoning behind it from day one.