What are typical elements of post-injury rehabilitation plan documentation?

• A. Diagnosis, goals, progression criteria, exercises, loading parameters, milestones, RTS criteria, communication plan.
• B. Diagnosis only.
• C. No documentation.
• D. Exercises only.

Answer: (A)

Post-injury rehabilitation plan documentation should be comprehensive and structured to guide safe, progressive recovery. It must include the diagnosis to justify the approach, clear goals to target functional and sport-related abilities, progression criteria that define when and how to advance loads and activities, a detailed set of exercises with loading parameters (frequency, intensity, reps/sets, tempo), milestones to mark phase transitions, return-to-sport criteria to determine readiness, and a communication plan to coordinate with other clinicians and the patient. This full package ensures the rehabilitation process is transparent, trackable, and safe, with objective points to progress and know when it’s appropriate to return to sport. If the plan only notes the diagnosis, there’s no actionable path. If there’s no documentation, progress and safety decisions aren’t recorded. If only exercises are listed, there’s no guidance on progression, loading, milestones, or RTS readiness, which can lead to unsafe loading or unclear recovery.