2022 Bern Consensus Statement on Shoulder Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Return to Sport for Athletes at All Participation Levels
Ariane Schwank, Paul Blazey, Martin Asker, Merete Møller, Martin Hägglund, Suzanne Gard, Christopher Skazalski, Stig Haugsbø Andersson, Ian Horsley, Rod Whiteley, Ann Cools, Mario Bizzini, Clare L. Ardern
Abstract
Synopsis There is an absence of high-quality evidence to support rehabilitation and return-to-sport decisions following shoulder injuries in athletes. The Athlete Shoulder Consensus Group was convened to lead a consensus process that aimed to produce best-practice guidance for clinicians, athletes, and coaches for managing shoulder injuries in sport. We developed the consensus via a 2-round Delphi process (involving more than 40 content and methods experts) and an in-person meeting. This consensus statement provides guidance with respect to load and risk management, supporting athlete shoulder rehabilitation, and decision making during the return-to-sport process. This statement is designed to offer clinicians the flexibility to apply principle-based approaches to managing the return-to-sport process within a variety of sporting backgrounds. The principles and consensus of experts working across multiple sports may provide a template for developing additional sport-specific guidance in the future. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2022;52(1):11–28. doi:10.2519/jospt.2022.10952