The return to play (RTP) decision-making process in football is currently based on expert opinion. No evidence-based consensus guideline has yet been published to guide the decision-making process in football (soccer). Our aim in this study was to provide a framework for evidence-based decision-making in RTP following lower limb muscle injuries sustained in football. A one-day consensus meeting was held in Milan, involving 66 national and international experts from various academic backgrounds.
Consensus was reached on several points: the definitions of “return to training” and “return to play” in football; the appropriate use of clinical and imaging assessment; the laboratory and field tests for return to training following lower limb muscle injury; the identification of objective criteria for RTP based on use of the Navigation Satellite Timing and Ranging Global Positioning System.