Rehabilitation and Return to Sport Following Operative and Nonoperative Treatment of Anterior Shoulder Instability

There has been growing interest in the rehabilitation process and timing of returning an athlete to sport following the management options for anterior shoulder instability. The purpose of this article is to review the current rehabilitation and return to sport (RTS) protocols for various nonoperative and operative management strategies following anterior shoulder instability events. When appropriate in the rehabilitation protocol, RTS testing should be criteria based, rather than time based, with a special focus given to psychological readiness in order to promote successful return to athletics and prevention of recurrent instability episodes in the future.