The Aspetar Rectus Femoris Injury Rehabilitation Pathway
The Aspetar Way
Rectus femoris injuries are common in sports that involve sprinting, kicking, and explosive movements. Despite their frequency and significant risk of reinjury, there is limited condition-specific guidance to support clinicians throughout the rehabilitation process.
The Aspetar Rectus Femoris Injury Rehabilitation Pathway – The Aspetar Way provides a structured, evidence-informed framework to guide rehabilitation from injury through to return to performance. Developed by the Aspetar Rehabilitation Department, it combines clinical expertise with a milestone-based approach to support informed decision-making while allowing rehabilitation to be tailored to the individual athlete.
Why This Pathway?
Successful rehabilitation requires clinicians to answer critical questions, including:
- Which clinical markers should guide progression?
- What exercise components are needed to restore optimal function?
- How should athletes be progressively reloaded towards sporting performance?
- Which key performance indicators (KPIs) should be used to support progression and return-to-performance decisions?
This pathway brings these elements together into a practical, assessment-guided reference for clinicians working with athletes across all sports and performance levels.
What You'll Learn
The pathway includes guidance on:
- Clinical and performance assessment
- Milestone-based progression criteria
- Rectus femoris-specific strength development
- Motor control and neuromuscular rehabilitation
- Explosive and reactive strength training
- Running and kicking progression
- Weekly rehabilitation planning
- Return-to-performance preparation
The Aspetar Way
The pathway follows a six-phase rehabilitation framework, guiding athletes from the initial injury through unrestricted training and a final Resilience phase aimed at reducing reinjury risk and optimising long-term performance.
Progression between phases is guided by clearly defined milestone-based exit criteria, helping clinicians make safe and objective rehabilitation decisions.