“The athlete’s job is to stay consistent with rehab and to be hungry to get back on the field. I think our job as a sports medicine team is to make sure that they’re safe and that they can perform.” In this episode of BackTable MSK, guest host and sports medicine physician Dr. Larry Balle joins physical therapist/athletic trainer Andy Glidewell to discuss how “return to play” is defined and why it is often misunderstood among athletes, coaches, physicians, and rehab teams.

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Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction
04:25 - Return to Play from the Lens of Physical Therapy vs. Sports Medicine
12:11 - Evidence-based vs. Anecdotal-based Practice for Return to Play
21:18 - Is there an Appropriate Team Approach?
24:25 - Continuing Conservative Management vs. Surgical Intervention
34:01 - Notes on a High-Profile Sports Medicine Case
40:20 - The Influence of NIL on College Athletics
42:51 - Obtaining Objective Metrics for Clearance
52:38 - Influence of AI on Return to Play Algorithms
57:11 - Final Takeaways

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More about this episode

They emphasize that return to play is a milestone-based rehabilitation phase requiring clear communication, collaboration, and risk management, rather than rigid timelines or just “vibes.”

The conversation covers how evidence and objectivity have shaped protocols (notably ACL timelines), the role of prognostic indicators in operative vs. non-operative decisions, and practical use of functional strength and agility reassessment. They also address pressures of working with elite sport and NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) considerations. Furthermore, they expand on how AI may inform, but not replace, the humanistic and team-based components of decision making.

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Resources

Dr. Larry Balle
https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-balle-ii/

Dr. Andy Glidewell
https://uamshealth.com/provider/michael-a-glidewell/

The Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy
https://www.jospt.org/

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BackTable Musculoskeletal (MSK) is the go-to podcast for musculoskeletal radiologists, interventional pain specialists, and orthopedic surgeons.

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