Return-to-play (RTP) decisions can be difficult and complex. The clinician is expected to provide an opinion based on a large number of factors including the history of the injury, physical examination, type of injury, rehabilitation, type of activity, psychological state, competitive level and ability to protect the injury.
Further, these decisions do not occur in a vacuum. The athlete may receive advice from family, friends, coaches, other clinicians and, in the case of elite athletes, agents. Because determining prognosis is difficult and frequently subjective, some disagreements regarding RTP will always occur. Differing sociocultural and clinical perspectives of the medical doctor, coach, athlete and others lead to a high potential for conflict. Apart from being challenging and an unpleasant experience, such conflicts are believed to lead to a number of negative scenarios.